Lung Cancer, COPD & Pneumonia: The Triple Threat Of Smoking

by Dr. Pavan Yadav

Smoking is harmful to health. It has been propagated over numerous means of communication as a sign of caution. Some of these disorders can be fatal. While others can result in long-term irreversible harm to your health.

Unlike direct smoking effects, the people who are exposed to second-hand smoking will have the same health issues as smokers. The death rate for any kind of smoker is two to three times higher than that for non-smokers. Ultimately half of the smokers will die as an outcome of their smoking.

Many people find it difficult to kick the habit and put themselves at a high risk of contracting smoking-related diseases, despite these drastic and proven health risks.

Let us get to know the top 3 harmful effects of smoking:

Lung Cancer: The number one risk factor for lung cancer is smoke. It does not matter whether a person smokes only one cigarette or many times a day or only rarely smokes, the chances of developing lung cancer are likely to increase.

More than 4,000 chemicals including carbon dioxide, nicotine, and tars are produced with smoking. Over time, these can transform normal cells into cancer cells. The risk of cancer is directly proportional to the number of cigarettes you smoke daily.

People who quit smoking have a lower risk of developing lung cancer, and this risk gradually decreases over time. Do not continue the practice by assuming that you are already too far in. Stopping smoke can slowly reduce and reverse the damage already caused to your body.

Among people, there is a misunderstanding that smoking can only result in mouth cancer. However, smoking can contribute to cancer anywhere in the body and lung cancer is one the most common and dangerous ones caused directly by smoking.

Symptoms of Lung cancer are seen in an advanced stage. They are:

Bone pain
Shortness of breath
Weight loss
Coughing up blood
For lung cancer treatment, you can visit the Best pulmonology hospital in Bangalore or seek help from the Best Interventional Pulmonologists in Bangalore.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): When we smoke, the airways, air sacs and the lining of the lungs get damaged. Though long course exposure to lung irritants can cause COPD. Smoking is a common risk factor. The airways lose their capacity to expand and shrink back and the walls between the air sacs are damaged. In the beginning stages, there will be just any symptoms or mild symptoms which worsen over time.

The symptoms are:

Difficulty in breathing
Wheezing
Tightness in the breath
Prolonged cough
Breathing difficulty
Pneumonia: Our body has a natural defense system against bacteria and viruses. Your body's defense system gets compromised when you smoke. You are susceptible to any infection with compromised immunity. In the trachea, the action of cilia or hair-like projections to brush fluids and other foreign particles from the airways is impaired, leading to pneumonia.

Symptoms of Pneumonia are:

Fever
Coughing up mucus
Chest pain

Early detection is the key:
Catching the above three conditions in its initial stage often allows for a higher possibility of successful treatment. When the treatment is easy and the response of your body to it will be more favorable. Pneumonia, COPD and lung cancer are nearly related and have alike symptoms.

The symptoms and the effect of these illnesses on the body will exacerbate the common culprit of smoking. The lungs, which are the main organ of these diseases in the respiratory system, bear the brunt of the attack.

COPD is a significant risk factor for lung cancer is also a known fact. This is the reason why COPD screening in smokers should be started at the earliest and quitting smoking should be the first thing to do to prevent both diseases.

Why is prevention important?

If smoke is not stopped in its early stages, any of the above diseases can be fatal and a crucial reason. This is why you should quickly stop smoking.

All those patients who get hospitalized when the symptoms worsen lament over holding on to the unhealthy practice of smoking.

Until the day your body decides it can no longer smoke, it will all be perfect and then teach you the smoke-free lesson in the hospital bed in the toughest way possible. The cost of care and the precious time you end up losing due to unsafe practices are not to be forgotten. Not only are these three diseases listed above but smoking is also related to almost all of the body's organs being diseased.

Remember that not only do you risk your health by smoking, you also risk the lives of people around you. Particularly children, pregnant women, and elderly people, as passive smoking is as dangerous as taking the real puff.

You can avail the best Lung Cancer Treatment in Bangalore at Aster RV Hospital in JP Nagar.

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