Surprising Smoking-Related Conditions and Diseases
You've heard it all before: Smoking leads to lung cancer, heart disease, stroke.
But did you know it can increase your risk of going blind? That smokers are more
likely to break their hips? That smoking can even put a damper on your sex life?
In fact, there are many surprising ways in which smoking is harmful. Read on to
learn some of the little-known effects cigarettes can have on your health.
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible loss of vision in the
developed world -- and smokers are three times more likely to suffer from it.
"Inside your eyes, your lenses are wearing away," says Iyaad Hasan, director of
the
Tobacco Treatment Center at the Cleveland Clinic. "The theory is that
smoking is a vasoconstrictor, which closes the vessels so you don't get enough
oxygen to your eyes over the years." The resulting damage to the retina can
cause a loss of vision in the center of the eye. And while beta carotene may
help ward off macular degeneration, smokers cannot take the vitamin since it
increases their risk of lung cancer. The upshot? Just one year after quitting,
evidence shows that the chance of developing macular degeneration is reduced by
nearly 7 percent.
Severe Forms of Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is no faraway Victorian woe -- in fact, the potentially deadly
disease exists in the U.S. today, with more than 11,000 reported cases in 2009.
And smokers are at a heightened risk of contracting a severe form of the
pulmonary bacterial infection. A 2008 study suggested that toxic carbon dioxide,
present in cigarette smoke, may trigger TB (symptoms may include coughing up
blood and fever). "Most people have a strong enough immune system to fight
against it," says Hasan. "But smokers' immune systems are down." Vulnerable
populations include those in crowded, often rural areas with no insurance and
poor health care.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
"You're trying to avoid inflammation with rheumatoid arthritis, but a cigarette
sends 4,000 chemicals that inflame your body," says Hasan. Rheumatoid arthritis
is a chronic autoimmune condition in which joints are usually sore and painful.
New York University researchers followed 1,405 smokers with RA, finding that the
21.1 percent that eventually quit had fewer tender, swollen joints. And Swedish
researchers published a study in 2010 that suggested that smoking accounts for
over 33 percent of common RA cases -- and more than half of RA diagnoses in
people with a family history of the condition.
Various Autoimmune Diseases
People with all autoimmune diseases should be especially aggressive in their
quests to quit smoking. Smoking has been linked to the development of such
diseases as lupus, hyperthyroidism and multiple sclerosis, among others.
Moreover, the chemicals in cigarettes (ammonia, acetone and formaldehyde, for
example) may cause flare-ups of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
Smoking can even cut down the effectiveness of medications. "It's an irritant,
like if you drank a bottle of Mr. Clean," says Hasan. "We're trying to clear
your body out, so why not stop smoking and lower the damage in general?"
Bone Loss
"Smoking is a contributing factor in one of every eight hip fractures," says
Hasan. Indeed, smoking has been known to be a risk factor for osteoporosis for
more than 20 years. A two-decade study found that smokers had a rise in marginal
bone loss, compared to nonsmokers. Those who stopped smoking during the course
of the study had much less bone loss than those who continued to smoke
throughout. "Your bones need oxygen, and the more you smoke, the more you
deprive bones of oxygen and the bone demineralizes," says Hasan.
Erectile Dysfunction
Medical professionals have long suspected that smoking and impotence are related
-- and have produced many studies that support the theory. Recently, a Chinese
study of more than 7,000 men found a link between the number of cigarettes men
smoked and their likelihood of experiencing erectile dysfunction. Researchers
even went as far as to suggest that more than 22 percent of all cases of
erectile dysfunction may be related to smoking. "It's all about the vessels,"
says Hasan. "A smoker has a higher chance of developing plaques in vessels, and
there are vessels down in that area. So you don't get enough blood flow and now
your erection is limp." As well, hypertension and diabetes, which are both
linked to smoking, are often thought of as precursors to erectile dysfunction.
Acid Reflux
Fifteen million Americans suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease -- and one
massive 2004 study found that long-time smokers were 70 percent more likely to
have the uncomfortable condition than those who had smoked for only a year. The
damage may not be reversible, but it is progressive and preventable: Smoking
increases acid production in your stomach and irritates a muscular valve that
sits atop the stomach, slowly loosening it over time; eventually, when a smoker
lies on his side, acid from the stomach can more easily slip out of the valve
and into the throat, causing a painful sensation. "People who are smokers
usually have some type of heartburn," says Hasan. "Smoking itself is an
irritant."