This video presents information on the adverse effects
of tobacco use on health.
The evidence is overwhelming.
There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke.
Any exposure to tobacco smoke, even an occasional cigarette
or exposure to secondhand smoke, is harmful.
The most effective strategy for reducing
the risk of tobacco-related disease and death
is to never smoke.
And if you do smoke, to quit.
Over the decades, studies have proven
that smoking causes many diseases, including
at least 12 types of cancer and numerous acute and chronic
diseases.
Tobacco smoking harms almost all systems of the human body.
Smoking causes cancer throughout most of the respiratory tract,
including the oropharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi,
and lungs.
In the gastrointestinal tract, smoking
causes cancer in the esophagus, stomach, and colon.
It causes liver cancer and pancreatic cancer.
In the genitourinary system, smoking
causes cancer of the kidney, bladder, and cervix.
Smoking also causes acute myeloid leukemia in the blood.
Most people are familiar with the respiratory diseases caused
by tobacco smoking.
These include Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,
or COPD, and chronic respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough,
phlegm, wheezing, and dyspnea.
Smoking exacerbates asthma, reduces lung function,
and impairs lung growth in childhood and adolescence.
It also causes acute respiratory illnesses like pneumonia.
Smoking is responsible for many cardiovascular diseases
as well, including coronary heart diseases, stroke,
and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Particularly concerning for developing countries
is the effect on tuberculosis.
Smoking increases the risk of tuberculosis infection,
risk of death from tuberculosis, and risk
of recurring tuberculosis.
Tobacco smoking can cause sexual dysfunction
including erectile dysfunction in men
and reduced fertility in women.
Women who smoke during pregnancy increase their risk
for complications such as ectopic pregnancy,
preeclampsia, placenta previa, placental abruption,
premature rupture of membranes, pre-term delivery,
and stillbirth.
For the developing fetus, there is an increased risk
of orofacial cleft, fetal growth restriction, and low birth
weight.
For post-menopausal women, smoking
increases the risk of hip fractures
and causes lower bone density.
Other adverse health effects associated with tobacco smoking
include diabetes mellitus, peptic ulcer disease,
rheumatoid arthritis, periodontitis,
and eye diseases such as blindness, cataracts,
and macular degeneration.
It also increases adverse surgical outcomes
such as slowed wound healing and respiratory complications.
Smokeless tobacco use also contributes
to illness and disease.
The use of smokeless tobacco causes oral cancer,
precancerous oral leukoplakia, oral lesions,
gingival recession, and loss of tooth structure.
In India, where smokeless tobacco use
is more common in smoking, it is noteworthy
that oral cancers are the most common fatal cancer
in men, followed by stomach cancer and lung cancer.
One third of the total cancer burden in India
is attributed to oral cancer.
Smokeless tobacco typically contains nicotine, and is not
a safe alternative to smoking.
The tobacco-related diseases just discussed
are diseases caused by active tobacco use.
However, exposure to secondhand smoke
has been shown to cause diseases in nonsmokers
including lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke.
Children who live with parents who smoke
have an increased risk of asthma, chronic respiratory
symptoms, wheezing illnesses, and lower respiratory
illnesses.
They also have an increased risk of middle ear diseases
such as otitis media and middle ear effusion.
Infants exposed to secondhand smoke
have an increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.
There are numerous health benefits
to quitting tobacco use, many of which occur in the short term.
For example, after the first 20 minutes of quitting smoking,
your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide in your blood
drops to normal.
Within two weeks to three months,
your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
Within one to nine months, coughing and shortness
of breath decrease, and your lungs
are able to clear mucus more easily,
thus decreasing your risk of infection.
In the long term, the risk of smoking-related diseases
decreases after quitting.
After one year, your risk of coronary heart disease
decreases by 50%.
After five years, your risk of cancer
of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder decreases by 50%.
After 10 years, your risk of death from lung cancer
decreases by 50%.
Also your risk of cancer of the larynx and pancreas decreases.
After 15 years, your risk of coronary heart disease
and stroke decreases to that of a nonsmoker.
And after 20 years, the risk of pancreatic cancer
decreases to that of a nonsmoker.
In closing, the health consequences from tobacco use
are serious and life threatening.
While there has been tremendous progress over the past half
century in identifying and exploring
the harms of tobacco use, efforts
are still needed to further reduce tobacco use.
Sustained and comprehensive efforts and policies
that focus on preventing youth initiation
and encouraging smokers to quit are
integral to saving lives and reducing
the burden of tobacco use.
The next video will discuss the role of global tobacco control
policies in more detail.