Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.
Increased health risks
Smokers are likelier than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. But smoking can cause cancer in any part of your body and increases the risk of dying from the disease.
Smoking increases the risk of:
Coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times
Stroke by 2 to 4 times
Men developing lung cancer by 25 times
Women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times
Developing diabetes (30–40% higher for active smokers than nonsmokers)
Cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation
Additional impacts:
More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer
Smoking causes stroke and coronary heart disease, which are among the leading causes of death in the United States
Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers
Smoking can make it harder for a woman to become pregnant. It can also affect her baby’s health before and after birth
Smoking can also affect men’s sperm, which can reduce fertility and also increase risks of congenital disabilities and miscarriage
Even people who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day can have early signs of cardiovascular disease
More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have been killed in all the wars fought by the United States
Quitting smoking lowers your risk for smoking-related diseases and can add years to your life. If nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen.
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
