Generality
Smoking is the habit of burning tobacco leaves and inhaling the resulting fumes, for pleasure and for a form of addiction.
First cause of death in the world and first cause of avoidable death (also in the world), the consumption of tobacco began to spread in Europe only after the discovery of America.
Smoking is responsible for damage to numerous organs and tissues in the human body. After all, the combustion of a cigarette produces about 4000 substances, many of which are toxic / irritating or carcinogenic.
The most important and common diseases deriving from tobacco consumption are: lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The only way to curb the effects of smoking is to quit smoking as soon as possible.
Definition of smoking
Smoking is the act of burning tobacco leaves and inhaling the resulting fumes, for a form of addiction and for pleasure.
In common parlance, smoking is the habit of smoking tobacco in a constant and prolonged manner.
Methods for smoking tobacco range from common cigarettes, cigars, pipes etc.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), the habit of tobacco consumption holds two tragic records: it represents the second cause of death in the world and the first cause of avoidable death (also in the world).
HISTORY OF TABAGISM AND ITS DIFFUSION
Tobacco was introduced into Europe only after the discovery of America in 1492 by Christopher Columbus. According to the descriptions of the time (including those of the Genoese navigator), in fact, the Native Americans were habitual consumers of tobacco, whose plants grew luxuriantly from North to South America.
A key figure in the spread of tobacco on the European continent was the Frenchman Jean Nicot, who made France discover the existence of the aforementioned plant in 1560.
From France, the use and knowledge of tobacco gradually expanded to all other European countries (England and Spain primarily), not without some fear and dread.
In the seventeenth century, states such as Sweden and Austria had large numbers of tobacco smokers; others like Switzerland prohibited smoking.
The first industries for the processing of tobacco date back to the first half of the eighteenth century and were based in America. From this moment on, the industrial activity linked to tobacco began to expand more and more, also reaching Europe, especially England.
A very important figure in the marketing of the first cigarettes was James Buchanan Duke, a native of New York. Duke founded a tobacco processing company that was among the most powerful in the United States and which also invaded the English market.
In the twentieth century, the consumption of cigarettes became widespread. Consider that several nations participating in the First World War supplied their soldiers with cigarette rations, on a par with provisions and war equipment.
The first reports relating to the "incidence of tobacco consumption on the appearance of lung cancer are dated around 1930-1940. Particularly curious was the anti-smoking companion, promoted by the Nazi regime around the end of the" 30s of the twentieth century: since the III Reich spent too much money to cure the diseases caused by smoking, Hitler and his advisers decided to abolish its consumption.
What does tobacco contain?
According to reliable studies, the combustion of a cigarette (exactly like that of a cigar or the tobacco of a pipe) produces about 4000 substances. Among these 4000 substances, there are many toxic / irritating substances for our organism and at least 70 with proven carcinogenic power on humans and animals (N.B: toxic and carcinogenic do not mean exactly the same thing).
- Aromatic amines
- N-nitrosamines of various types
- Formaldehyde
- Benzopyrene
- Aromatic hydrocarbons
- 1-3 butadiene
- Benzene
- Acetaldehyde
- Acrolein
- Hydrogen cyanide
- Carbon monoxide
- Nicotine
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Toxic / irritating
Toxic / irritating
Toxic / irritating
Toxic / irritating
Toxic / irritating
N.B: benzopyrene and aromatic hydrocarbons are two of the toxic substances that make up the corpuscular part of the smoke, namely tar.
NICOTINE
Nicotine is perhaps the most famous toxic component of tobacco. Named in honor of Jean Nicot, it is an addictive alkaloid. An avid tobacco user, in fact, when he quits smoking, develops a nicotine withdrawal syndrome which leads to the appearance of various symptoms, including:
- Irrepressible desire to smoke
- Anxiety
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea
- Headache
- Anger and irritability
- Depression
- Lack of concentration
Typically, the acute phase of nicotine withdrawal begins 3 days after the last cigarette and lasts for about 2-3 weeks.
On the human body, nicotine leads to an increase in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate.
CARBON MONOXIDE
Carbon monoxide is a smoke "poison" which, when inhaled, mixes with the blood and leads to a reduction in blood oxygen levels.
In addition to promoting myocardial ischemia (angina pectoris and heart attack), it is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, as its effect of reducing blood oxygen levels compromises the normal growth of the fetus.
Effects of smoking
Smoking significantly damages numerous organs and tissues of the body.
At the expense, they are primarily the cardiovascular system and the respiratory system; then, they follow the oropharyngeal tract (ie mouth-throat), the skin, the esophagus-stomach digestive tract, the genital system, the scalp, the brain, the bones and some abdominal or pelvic organs such as the bladder, kidneys, the uterus (in women) and the pancreas.
WHAT DISEASES CAUSES TABAGISM?
Smoking can cause:
- Lung cancer. According to recent estimates, tobacco use accounts for 83% of lung cancer deaths worldwide.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). As in the case of lung cancer, the incidence of smoking on this serious lung disease is very significant: several studies have shown that more than 80% of deaths from COPD are due to smoking.
- Asthma, pneumonia, pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis and acute bronchitis. These conditions, along with lung cancer and COPD, all result from the destruction of the characteristic ciliary tissue of the respiratory tract, which is (obviously) induced by the "poisons" of smoking.
- Heart disease. The main heart diseases caused by tobacco consumption concern the coronary arteries and are: angina pectoris and myocardial infarction.
Additionally, smokers tend to have a higher than normal heart rate.
- Tumors in the oropharyngeal tract. These are cancers such as: mouth cancer, throat cancer, tongue cancer, lip cancer and laryngeal cancer.
- Tumors of the esophagus and stomach. Neoplasms of the esophagus generally represent a serious complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (induced in turn by habitual tobacco consumption). Stomach neoplasms, on the other hand, derive from an alteration of the normal epithelium that constitutes the gastric wall : due to this alteration, the stomach becomes particularly sensitive to the acid substances it contains and develops a predisposition to tumor processes.
- Tumors affecting the pancreas, bladder, uterus (cervix) and kidneys.
- Serious alterations in blood circulation. Smokers have high blood pressure, reduced blood oxygen levels, a marked tendency to suffer from atherosclerosis and persistent vasoconstriction. All this affects the oxygenation of some body tissues (hair, skin, etc.) and drastically increases the risk of stroke (up to 50%) and of a cerebral aneurysm.
- Erection problems in men. They are due to a reduced blood supply to the arterial vessels of the penis.
- Fertility problems in both men and women. A man who consumes large quantities of tobacco may see his ability to produce sperm reduced.
The heavy smoker, on the other hand, may have problems getting pregnant and / or carrying the pregnancies to term.
- Premature menopause in women.
- Premature aging of the skin. Because of tobacco, smokers tend to have a yellowish and dry skin (especially around the hand holding the cigarette), numerous wrinkles (especially around the eyes and mouth) and sunken cheeks.
- Stained teeth, gingivitis and bad breath.
- Bone fragility and, in severe cases, osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a systemic disease of the skeleton, which causes a strong weakening of the bones. The weakening arises from the reduction of bone mass, which, in turn, is a consequence of the deterioration of the microarchitecture of the bone tissue.
- Problems during pregnancy. Pregnant women who consume tobacco (or inhale passive smoke) are more prone to: miscarriage, premature birth, death at birth of the newborn, SIDS (cot death), birth defects in the newborn, placental problems, low weight to birth and neonatal respiratory distress.
Smoking worsens the symptom picture of various diseases, including:
- Asthma
- Cold
- Influence
- Respiratory tract infections
- Tuberculosis
- Chronic rhinitis
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Hyperthyroidism
- Multiple sclerosis
- Optic neuritis
- Crohn's disease
TABAGING AND EFFECTS ON THE DURATION OF THE AVERAGE LIFE
In the past, several studies have tried to establish how much smoking affects the average life span of the human being. It was found that 20 cigarettes a day reduce the life of an individual by 4.6 years by 25 years, while 40 cigarettes reduce it by 25 years. 8.3 years.
PASSIVE DAMAGES OF TABAGING
The passive damages of smoking are the harmful consequences that fall under the more common name of secondhand smoke.
Passive smoking is, by definition, the smoke that non-smokers involuntarily inhale when they are in the vicinity of smokers.
The damage and pathologies that can derive from exposure to passive smoking are largely comparable to those of active smoking.
WHO MANIFESTS THE MOST DAMAGES?
The smokers on whom the harm of smoking is most evident are the most avid tobacco users and the oldest ones.
MORE EFFECTS
According to some scientific studies, smoking favors the development of: dementia, optic neuropathy, macular degeneration, cataracts, psoriasis, tooth loss and Raynaud's phenomenon.
Also, don't forget that smoking impregnates clothes with an unpleasant smell, is expensive and can be a cause for quarrel between friends or family.
Diffusion
Unfortunately, smoking is a "widespread habit in all countries of the globe: according to the most recent statistical surveys, habitual tobacco users in the world are approximately 1.1 billion.
Other research, relating in this case to the mortality of smoking, has shown that smoking is responsible for 5-6 million deaths worldwide (N.B: about 600,000 are victims of passive smoking). For such individuals, the most common causes of death are cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease.
A recent forecast by the WHO stated that, if the trend does not change, by 2030, deaths from smoking will be 10 million per year.
DIFFUSION OF TABAGISM IN ITALY
With regard to the spread of smoking in Italy, the 2014 Istat data show that:
- Total smokers are around 10-11 million. Even if the difference in percentage terms is no longer as large as in the past, men smokers are still more than women smokers (just over 6 million men against the remaining 4 million and just over women).
- The annual deaths from smoking are between 70,000 and 83,000: 25% of these deaths concern individuals aged between 35 and 65 years.
- The men who consume the most tobacco are young adults between the ages of 25 and 34. Among the female population, however, the biggest smokers are young women between 20 and 24 years old.
Remedies
The best remedy against smoking or, rather, against the effects of smoking is to stop consuming tobacco.
Numerous experiments and many clinical observations have shown that the damages of smoking are reversible: patience and willpower is required, but, if we intervene promptly, there is a good chance of avoiding irreversible consequences.
While it is true that years of smoking affect the severity of smoking damage, it is equally true that the sooner a smoker stops smoking, the fewer the consequences, including irreversible ones.
PROGRAMS TO STOP SMOKING
For smokers with less willpower and for those who simply need help, there are dedicated smoking cessation programs. In fact, these programs are guides, written by experts and full of tips and tricks on how to quit smoking.
Anyone interested in knowing the aforementioned programs in detail can contact their doctor.
REMEDIES AGAINST NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL
While relying on an anti-smoking program, some smokers fail to overcome the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and fail in their resolve to quit tobacco.
These subjects are ideal candidates for the assumption of some pharmacological products, such as bupropion, varenicline and the so-called nicotine substitutes.
- Bupropion And varenicline are two drugs mimic the effects of nicotine, while not containing it. Taken only by prescription, they are both fairly effective in reducing the desire to smoke.
- THE nicotine substitutes (or nicotine substitutes) are nicotine-based medicines designed to gradually reduce the desire to smoke. Their administration mitigates, with good results, the impact that nicotine withdrawal symptoms have on more sensitive ex-smokers.
Also usable without a prescription, nicotine substitutes exist in the form of patches, chewing gum, inhalers, sprays and lotions.
If you are pregnant, it is best to ask your doctor for advice before using it.
ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE
For some years now, smokers have been able to resort to the use of electronic cigarettes.
On the safety of this tool, doctors and experts have raised some doubts, but they also admitted that the effects on human health are certainly lower than the effects of smoking (understood as the combustion of tobacco leaves).
