Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Some of these harmful and negative effects are immediate. Find out the health effects of smoking on different parts of your body. To hear more from real people living or caring for someone with smoking-related diseases and disabilities, click here.
Asthma
Smoking can trigger asthma in persons who smoke and those around them.
Tobacco smoke and secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack, both in people who smoke and those around them. For more information and tips on how to protect your family and yourself from a tobacco-related asthma attack, click here.
For Missouri-specific resources, check out Asthma Prevention and Control.
Cancer
Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body and then block your body from fighting it. Tobacco smoke is a toxic mix of more than 7,000 chemicals. Many are poisons. At least 70 are known to cause cancer in people or animals
Lung Cancer
Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, with nearly 9 out of 10 lung cancers in the U.S. caused by smoking cigarettes.
People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke. Even smoking a few cigarettes a day or smoking occasionally increases the risk of lung cancer. The more years a person smokes and the more cigarettes smoked each day, the more risk goes up.
Concerned that you’re at risk for lung cancer? See if you qualify for a free screening.
Free lung cancer screenings are available to qualifying individuals under the Affordable Care Act.
Find a health center with low-cost or free cancer screenings with no insurance required.
Mouth and Throat Cancer
Chewing tobacco causes cancer and other health issues. Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents and is linked to mouth, tongue, cheek, gum, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers. Chew or dip users also have high rates of leukoplakia, which is a gray-white patch in the mouth that can become cancer. Other health issues include heart disease, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and increased risk of early delivery and stillbirth when used during pregnancy.
COPD/Emphysema
Lung cancer isn’t the only way that smoking kills.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are permanent conditions that interfere with air flow in to and from the lungs. People suffering from COPD sometimes describe it as feeling like they’re drowning. Find Out More.
Diabetes
Smoking can lead to diabetes and make it harder to control.
Smoking increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 30% to 40%. Smoking decreases blood flow to legs and feet, which can lead to infections, sores and possible amputation. People who quit smoking have better control of their diabetes and insulin levels.
To see if you are at risk for prediabetes, visit Do I have Prediabetes? For more information see the Missouri Diabetes Program or for the link between smoking and diabetes check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Heart disease and stroke are cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) diseases (CVDs) which can cause chest pain, heart attack, heart failure and blockage of blood supply to the brain. Smoking is a major cause of Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) and causes one of every four deaths from CVD. Breathing secondhand smoke can cause coronary heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
Smoking and Pregnancy
Smoking and vaping are not safe during pregnancy.
Smoking while pregnant can lead to miscarriages, stillbirth, preterm deliveries and low birth weights. It also increases the chance of birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate, increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and damages a developing baby’s brain and lungs.
If you are pregnant and trying to quit, you don’t have to do it alone. Missouri Tobacco Quit Services offers free help to quit. No judgements - just help.
Effects on Youth
The human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, and some of the most critical developments happen during teenage years. Use of any addictive substance during this time can alter how the brain develops. Nicotine, found in traditional tobacco products like cigarettes and e-cigarettes or vapes, affects teens more than it does adults. Using nicotine as a teenager can lead to:
- Use of other addictive substances
- Lower impulse control
- Greater inability to focus
- Depression
- Anxiety
Find Out More