There are over one billion smokers worldwide. If they smoke long enough, they can expect to experience some sort of illness or death from their smoking addiction. Smoking has almost certain short and long term effects that range from wrinkled skin and smoker's cough all the way to incapacitation and death.
Life Expectancy
Smoking one pack of cigarettes can take 28 minutes off the smoker's life span. One carton of cigarettes smoked equates to 1.5 days of lost life. On average, smokers can expect their lives to be shortened by about 25 years. A 30 year-old smoker could expect to live to about age 65 as compared to a non-smoker of the same age who could expect to live to age 83. These smoking-related deaths start as early as age 35. Not only does smoking affect those that smoke, but it can also shorten the life span of the smoker's children. The shortened life of their children is not just due to the smoke they inhale after their born, but the affects of smoking on the baby before they leave the womb.
Heart Disease
There are many factors that influence the risk of developing heart disease including physical inactivity, family history and diet. However, being a smoker significantly increases the risk of developing heart disease all by itself. This happens because smoking raises blood pressure and high blood pressure is known as the silent killer. Smoking also makes the development of blood clots more likely. These clots are what block the flow of blood in the heart and .
Stroke
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer. Smokers are two and a half times more likely to suffer from a stroke. According to the Stroke Association, more than 8,000 people are predicted to die of stroke from smoking at the start of the millennium. Stroke can bring about disability in anyone that suffers from one. One side of the body can become either partially or completely unable to function which can severely diminish quality of life and negatively affect mental health.
COPD
COPD is short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is a progressive, lifelong disease that can't be cured. COPD patients have a very hard time breathing easily enough to perform simple tasks such as dressing themselves and walking from one side of the room to the other. They may eventually have to carry and wear an oxygen supply everywhere in addition to taking medications to enable breathing. While COPD can be caused by environmental factors, smoking is the most common cause. It develops over time from the lungs being exposed to the irritants and toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the number one cause of all cancer deaths in men and women in America making it one of the top three most deadly forms of cancer. Less than 15 percent of cancer patients can expect to survive it. More than 90 percent of lung cancers are caused by smoking. There are about fifty million smokers in the United States, all of whom put themselves at risk for lung cancer each time they take a puff.
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