Risks of Smoking

Benefits of Quitting

• Coronary Heart Disease
  Cigarette smoking is a major factor responsible for 120,000 excess US deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) each year.

• Sharply decreases risk after one year
  After 10 years, ex-smokers' risk is same as that of those who never smoked.

• Chronic Bronchitis and
  Pulmonary Emphysema
  Cigarette smokers have 4-25 times risk of death from these diseases as nonsmokers. Damage seen in lungs of even young smokers.

• Cough and sputum disappear during first few weeks. Lung function may improve and rate of deterioration slow down.

• Stillbirth and Low Birth Weight
  Smoking mothers have more stillbirths and babies of low birth weight - more vulnerable to disease and death.

• Women who stop smoking before 4th month of pregnancy eliminate risk of stillbirth and low birth weight caused by smoking.

• Children of smoking mothers smaller, underdeveloped physically and socially, seven years after birth.

• Since children of non-smoking mothers are bigger and more advanced socially, inference is that not smoking during pregnancy might avoid such underdeveloped children.

• Peptic Ulcer
  Cigarette smokers get more peptic ulcers and die more often from them, cure is more difficult in smokers.

• Ex-smokers get ulcers but these are more likely to heal rapidly and completely than those of smokers.

• Allergy and Impairment of Immune System

• Since these are direct, immediate effects of smoking, they are obviously avoidable when you stop smoking.