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What are the effects of smoking cigarettes?
How does smoking affect your health?
What are the long-term effects of smoking?
Learn how smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general. Find out the risks of smoking for death, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, and other health problems.
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- Overview
- Lung damage
- Heart disease
- Fertility problems
- Risk of pregnancy complications
- Risk of type 2 diabetes
- Weakened immune system
- Vision problems
- Poor oral hygiene
- Integumentary system
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Smoking cigarettes can have many adverse effects on the body. It increases a person’s risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, vision problems, and gum disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking harms almost all organs in the body and causes many diseases. It reduces the health of smokers in general.
Smoking cigarettes affects the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the reproductive system, the skin, and the eyes, and it increases the risk of many cancers.
This article looks at 13 possible effects of smoking cigarettes.
A note about sex and gender
Sex and gender exist on spectrums. This article will use the terms “male,” “female,” or both to refer to sex assigned at birth. Click here to learn more.
Smoking cigarettes damages the lungs because a person inhales nicotine, among other chemicals.
Cigarettes are responsible for a substantial increase in the risk of developing lung cancer. This risk is 25 times greater for men and 25.7 times for women.
The CDC reports that roughly 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths are linked to smoking.
Smoking cigarettes also presents a greater risk of developing and dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). The American Lung Association report that smoking causes 80% of COPD deaths.
Smoking cigarettes can damage the heart, blood vessels, and blood cells.
The chemicals and tar in cigarettes can increase a person’s risk of atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. This buildup limits blood flow and can lead to dangerous blockages.
Smoking also increases the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD), which occurs when the arteries to the arms and legs start to narrow, restricting blood flow.
Research shows a direct link between smoking and developing PAD — even those who used to smoke face a higher risk than people who never smoked.
Having PAD increases the risk of:
•blood clots
Smoking cigarettes can damage a female’s reproductive system and make it more difficult to get pregnant. This may be because tobacco and the other chemicals in cigarettes affect hormone levels.
In males, the risk of erectile dysfunction increases the more they smoke and the length of time they smoke for. Smoking can also affect the quality of the sperm and therefore reduce fertility.
According to the CDC, smoking can affect pregnancy and the developing fetus in several ways, including:
•increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy
•reducing the baby’s birth weight
•increasing the risk of preterm delivery
•damaging the fetus’s lungs, brain, and central nervous system
•increasing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
The CDC report that people who smoke regularly have a 30–40% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who do not.
Smoking can also make it more difficult for people with diabetes to manage their condition.
Smoking cigarettes can weaken a person’s immune system, making them more susceptible to illness.
It can also cause additional inflammation in the body.
Smoking cigarettes can cause eye problems, including a greater risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
Other vision problems related to smoking include:
•dry eyes
•glaucoma
People who smoke have double the risk of gum disease. This risk increases with the number of cigarettes a person smokes.
Symptoms of gum disease include:
•swollen and tender gums
•bleeding when brushing
•loose teeth
•sensitive teeth
The integumentary system consists of a person’s skin, hair, and nails.
Smoking tobacco can affect a person’s skin and hair. A person who smokes may experience prematurely aged, wrinkled skin. According to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, some of the long-term effects of smoking include:
•baggy eyes
•deeper facial wrinkles
•dry skin
•furrows
Smoking cigarettes can cause lung damage, heart disease, fertility problems, diabetes, and many cancers. It can also affect the skin, eyes, mouth, and nervous system. Learn how to quit smoking and the benefits of doing so.
Jan 6, 2023 · Learn how smoking can harm your health and cause various diseases and conditions, from cancer to lung damage. Find out how quitting smoking can reverse some of the effects and improve your overall well-being.
May 2, 2024 · Smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death worldwide, and harms nearly every organ in the body. Learn about the chemicals, diseases and costs of smoking, and how to quit with counseling and medication.
Smoking can cause cancer, lung diseases, heart problems, and other health issues. Learn how smoking affects your lungs, heart, blood vessels, reproductive system, and more.
