Contents:
- Medical Video: What Happens When You Stop Smoking?
- The danger of smoking for lung health
- Lung problems that are prone to active smokers
- 1. Chronic bronchitis
- 2. Emphysema
- 3. Lung cancer
- 4. Pneumonia
Medical Video: What Happens When You Stop Smoking?
Smoking means poisoning yourself. Because, when you smoke, more than 4,000 chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar enter the body. Lungs that are supposed to get fresh air are exposed to various foreign substances that are destructive. Then, what are the dangers of smoking for lung health? How do cigarettes damage your lungs?
The danger of smoking for lung health
The respiratory tract produces mucus to keep moisture and filter out the impurities that enter when you breathe in. The main danger of smoking for lung health is to make the organ not function properly.
Because the chemicals in cigarettescan stimulate mucus-producing membrane cells to be more productive. As a result, the amount of mucus will increase, making a thick layer around the lungs.
The lungs cannot clear the mucus causing a blockage.When this happens, your body will certainly not stand still. The body will release extra mucus from the body through coughing. This is why smokers often cough with mucus (phlegm).
In addition to stimulating more mucus production, cigarettes also make the lung experience premature aging. Basically, all organs of the body will experience a decrease in function with age. But in active smokers, the lungs get older faster and are damaged in function. Why?
A cigarette that you breathe can slow the movement of the cilia, which is fine hair on cells that cleanse the lungs. The chemicals in cigarettes also destroy lung tissue making the blood vessels decrease in number and the air space becomes narrower.
Lung problems that are prone to active smokers
There are many dangers of smoking for lung health, even causing certain diseases. Most of these diseases are chronic and require long treatment.
Then, what are the dangers of smoking for lung health?
1. Chronic bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is part of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease indicates inflammation in the lining of the bronchial tubes (channels that carry air to and from the lungs).
The inflammation causes mucus to become too sticky to eventually block the flow of air entering and leaving the lungs. Gradually, the air flow gets worse and results in difficulty breathing.
Inflammation of the bronchial tubes also damages the cilia. As a result, the lungs cannot cleanse themselves and make the germs easily develop in them.
You need to know that almost more than 90 percent of people with chronic bronchitis have a smoking habit. Even so, passive smokers are also at risk for this problem due to inhaling cigarette smoke that is too often.
The typical symptom of chronic bronchitis is a prolonged cough with phlegm that is yellow, green, or white. Other symptoms that may occur include:
- Cold fever or cold body
- Fatigue
- Chest pain due to frequent coughing
- Nasal congestion
- Bad breath
- Skin and lips turn blue due to lack of oxygen
- Swelling in the legs
2. Emphysema
Besides bronchitis, active smokers can also get emphysema. This disease indicates that the alveoli, which is the air sac in the lung is damaged, weakened, and eventually ruptures.
This condition reduces the lung surface area and the amount of oxygen that can reach the bloodstream. People with emphysema tend to have difficulty breathing when doing strenuous activities or exercise because the lungs lose their flexibility.
Emphysema is also included in COPD, the main cause of which is smoking. Many chronic bronchitis patients also have emphysema, if they don't get treatment. Unfortunately, emphysema often comes unnoticed. Early symptoms that indicate emphysema include breathing difficulties during exercise and coughing. Other symptoms that may occur, including:
- Easy to get tired and have difficulty breathing even while resting
- Fast heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Weight loss
- Hard to breathe
- Lips and finger nails turn blue due to lack of oxygen
3. Lung cancer
The danger of smoking for other lung health is cancer. Yes, this habit can increase the risk of lung cancer.
Chemicals in cigarettes that enter the body are likely to stimulate cell growth in the lungs to be abnormal. Cancer cells usually appear around the lining of the bronchi or other areas of the respiratory tract, causing lumps, and continue to spread to other tissues.
If you already have bronchitis or emphysema, the risk of getting lung cancer is higher. Research estimates that a man aged 68 years, smoking two packs per day for 50 years has a lung cancer risk of 15 percent in the next 10 years. The risk of lung cancer will decrease to 10.8 percent if he stops smoking.
Some symptoms of lung cancer that need to be considered include:
- Coughing is sometimes accompanied by a little blood
- Chest pain
- Hard to breathe
- Hoarseness
- Swollen face and neck
- Pain in the shoulders, arms or hands
- Frequent fever
4. Pneumonia
Although pneumonia is caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, smoking can reduce the immune system to fight the pathogens that cause pneumonia. This condition indicates an infection in the air sacs in the lungs. You are more likely to develop pneumonia if you have COPD, such as bronchitis or emphysema.
Symptoms of pneumonia vary in each person from mild to severe, depending on the type of infecting germs, age, and body health. Symptoms of pneumonia that you may experience are similar to flu, but occur over a longer period of time and are followed by other symptoms, such as:
- Chest pain when breathing or coughing
- Cough with phlegm
- Limp body and fatigue
- Fever is accompanied by a shivering and sweaty body
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Hard to breathe
Coughing is a symptom of lung disease that is very typical of smokers. If the cough does not heal and is followed by a variety of symptoms, you should immediately check. Even better if you stop smoking, even though it's not easy and needs hard struggle.
