FAST FACTS ON SMOKING

• Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

• Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.

• Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day.

What Happens When You Stop Smoking?

• Quitting smoking can reduce blood pressure, lower risk of stroke and coronary heart disease, and reduce your chances of developing lung cancer.

• Our lungs are self-cleaning and will begin to heal themselves after you stop smoking (though the extent to which they will heal depends on your overall health, how long you’ve smoked, and your existing lung damage).

• Quitting smoking can be difficult, but despite any potential challenges and setbacks you may encounter, benefits of smoking cessation are clear.

• Long-term, your risks of stroke, lung cancer, and heart disease drop to a level that’s comparable to someone who has never smoked before, and the sooner you quit.

For more information Contact  Dr. Nagamani Pullepu