Smoking is not only bad for the health of our lungs. The respiratory system, kidneys, bladder and digestive system are also affected by smoking, which can cause multiple diseases.
Every year, 7 million people die from tobacco. The leading cause of preventable premature death in France, smoking caused nearly 79,000 deaths in 2015, or 216 people every day.
Considered to be responsible for 90% of lung cancer in France, tobacco is far from affecting only the health of the respiratory system and, on the contrary, contributes to the appearance of many serious pathologies that can affect all organs.
The harmful effects of tobacco on all organs
Already in 2014, a report by the American general practitioner taking stock of 50 years of tobacco control established a clear link between tobacco consumption and the development of disease.
“This new report indicates that smoking also contributes to age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, liver cancer, complications in people with cancer and those who recover from it, as well as cancer. tuberculosis, erection problems, hare lip in newborns, ectopic pregnancies, arthritis, inflammation and immune dysfunctions “, then detailed Dr Boris Lushniak, General Physician acting and author of the report cited by The Obs.
The list of pathologies linked to tobacco consumption is indeed long. Besides diseases of the respiratory system (lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, asthma), tobacco is also known to degrade the cardiovascular system. Smoking increases the risk of blocked arteries, high blood pressure, aneurysm and stroke. “The oxygen deficit damages the heart muscle”, explains tobacco specialist Jean-Noël Dubois, interviewed by the French mutual insurance. “The accumulation of fatty deposits reduces the diameter of the vessels and arteries, limiting the blood supply. The heart beats faster to compensate and therefore wears more.”
ENT and digestive disorders
Nose-throat-ear infections are also more frequent in active smokers, more affected by tonsillitis, nasopharyngitis, laryngitis or ear infections. Tobacco also affects the vocal cords: the rocky voice is recognizable in heavy smokers.
Tobacco also has deleterious effects on the digestive system: first on the esophagus, in the first line with heavy tars and other products of tobacco combustion. Smokers also have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer since smoking “multiplies by two or three the risk of occurrence”, recalls in Le Figaro Prof. Laurent Beaugerie, head of the gastroenterology service at Saint-Antoine hospital, in Paris. Gastric ulcer is also more common and more persistent in smokers.
Allergies and grayish skin
Smoking is also dangerous for the kidneys and the bladder. According to’French urology association (AFU), 21% of kidney cancer deaths in France are due to smoking. Poorly understood, bladder cancer can be caused by tobacco consumption: 5% to 25% of these cancers could be due to exposure to the 43 carcinogenic substances found in cigarettes.
Dermatologists also point out the harmful effects of tobacco on the skin. According to National Union of Dermatologists and Venereologists (SNDV), “each puff of cigarette smoke releases 200,000 free radicals which will attack skin cells and have effects on the eye area and facial skin as a whole: appearance of wrinkles, dark circles, thickening of the skin and grayish complexion “.
Finally, remember that tobacco increases the risk of rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis because of its irritant role and that it worsens and triggers allergic manifestations.
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