Effect of Tobacco Use on the Human Body - Outline Example

Effect of Tobacco Use on the Human Body Outline Introduction 2) Tobacco and addiction (a) Nicotine (b) Addiction 3) Tobacco and autoimmune diseases (a) Immunity (b) Crohn’s disease (c) Type 2 diabetes 4) Tobacco effect on brain (a) Blood brain barrier (b) Effects of nicotine on the brain 5) Respiratory system complications associated with tobacco (a) Emphysema (b) Lung cancer (c) Chronic bronchitis (d) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 6) Effects of tobacco on the bones (a) Osteoporosis 7) Tobacco and the cardiovascular system (a) Cardiac complications (b) Vascular diseases 8) Effects of tobacco on external organs (a) Mouth (b) skin 9) Cancers related with tobacco (a) Types of cancer (b) Tobacco components as potential carcinogens 10) Effects of tobacco on the reproductive system (a) Male reproductive issues (b) Female reproductive issues 11) Tobacco as a cause of deaths (a) Statistics 12) Conclusion Tobacco is considered as a mild drug and has a widespread use worldwide. It is usually smoked through the mouth r sniffed through the nose. Tobacco use has a long history. Tobacco contains nicotine as the active ingredient while there are other components that are potentially dangerous to the body such as tar, free radicals, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, metals and radioactive compound. The use of tobacco has quite a number of effects, most of which effect on the health of an individual. In addition, through addiction a person becomes enslaved to cigarettes smoking. In many jurisdictions smoking is legalized though there are regulations because of the potential harm of cigarette smoke to the people around the smoker. Quite a number of health conditions are directly or indirectly linked with the smoking of tobacco. Tobacco smoking is detrimental to the health of an individual and it is a high cause of deaths. Tobacco is addictive. Nicotine is the active substance in tobacco that creates an urge to smoke. This addictive component makes it possible for smokers to crave for the drug. This makes it difficult to shun tobacco smoking once a person has been initiated. Lack of the daily dose of nicotine makes the smoker have an ‘abnormal’ feeling that is overcome by the uptake of a dose of the drug. Once addition sets in, spending on cigarettes becomes inevitable. This form of slavery ensures that an individual will continue to consume it throughout their life. The effects of tobacco on the health of a person are widespread. Smoking affects nearly all the organs of the body though some are affected more than others are. According to CDC (2013), one out of every five deaths every year are linked to effects of tobacco on the human body. This stamps the effects of the drug on the human body. A keen focus on the health implications of tobacco smoking is discussed extensively in the paragraphs below. Tobacco smoking poses as a risk factor for autoimmune diseases. Smoking makes the immune system weak thereby exposing the body to infections. Common are the diseases that are associated with the respiratory system (Foulds et al., n.d.. The sedimentation and absorption of tobacco components in the lungs facilitates the development of respiratory complications. The components of tobacco play a role in compromising the immune system hence the defence mechanism of the body are weakened. Apart from that, autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease as well as rheumatoid arthritis are strongly associated with the effects of tobacco smoking. On other grounds, the chances of developing type 2 diabetes have been seen to be more 30-40% likely for smokers. The brain is also affected by tobacco smoking. It is known to be one of the fastidious organs in the body that are highly selective and sensitive to what gets there. Once tobacco is smoked its components gets to the bloodstream and finds their way to the brain. Some of the components are highly harmful hence they are not allowed to get into the brain courtesy of the blood brain barrier. However, nicotine, which is the abundant component, gets into the brain and that is where it induces the effects of addiction. When smoking relaxes the mind making the smoker feel good. However, after smoking there comes the feeling of anxiety, depression, moodiness, or even nervousness. On the other hand, the smoker feels dizzy and sometimes suffers from headache (Brandt, 2007). The respiratory system is on the receiving end of tobacco smoking because most of the components of tobacco find their way there. Smoking damages the lungs and its vascular system. It increases the chances of asthmatic attacks for asthma patients while the smoker keeps on coughing on frequent basis. It is highly linked to lung cancer as well as emphysema. The blockage of airways can result to various health complications such as chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Brandt, 2007). The bones are also affected by tobacco smoking. Tobacco has been identified as one of the factors that contribute to osteoporosis. In this scenario, the bones become relatively weaker hence making an individual susceptible to fractures as well as reduced bone mass. Among the old men and women bone loss is seen to be highly contributed to smoking. Early smoking especially for women makes them have early menopause due to the reduction of the levels of oestrogen. This contributes to higher chances of osteoporosis. The cardiovascular system is also affected by the use of tobacco. It has already been argued that tobacco components are many and harmful. The heart rate is increased through smoking while raising the blood pressure. The heart does not have a mechanism to shield the components from getting through it. The blood as well as the blood vessels is also in constant contact with these harmful components. The chemicals released from tobacco are potential in increasing the chances for arteriosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, aneurysms, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and heart attack (Mamun et al., 2004; Foulds et al., n.d). Effects of smoking of tobacco also affect the external organs. The skin is affected by smoking by being rendered dry and yellow. In addition, the person may also develop wrinkles. The smell of cigarette remains within the skin of the smoker hence it is easy to know person who has been smoking. The mouth is also not left out; the tobacco breath that comes from the mouth is awful while there is the browning of teeth. It has also been found out that the taste buds are destroyed by tobacco, hence tasting of food becomes difficult. It can also result to dryness of the mouth, bleeding of gums as well as the cancer of throat and mouth (Warnakulasuriya et al., 2010). There is a lot of evidence that links tobacco smoking with diverse cancers. Almost every organ of the body risks a tumour that is derived from the effects of smoking. Lung cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the larynx, bladder cancer, kidney cancer are just but a few of the cancers that research has indicated a strong relationship with tobacco smoking. In women, cervical cancer among women smokers has been evidenced to be relatively higher compared to the non-smokers. There are very high chances of dying from lung cancer for the smokers than for the non-smokers (Kuper, Boffetta, & Adami, 2002). The reproductive system can also be affected by smoking of tobacco. In the males, there is a likelihood of the person having a low sperm count, it can lead to impotence, deformation of sperms as well changes in the genetic composition of the sperms. In women, there are chances of reduced fertility, higher risk of cervix cancer, irregular periods, and early menopause. Tobacco is a major cause of death. In the United States, it is ranked the leading cause of death that has the capacity to be prevented. It is estimated that about 480,000 people lose their lives in US due to smoking related complications. Most of the premature deaths are also associated with the effects of smoking. Approximately 90% of all the cases of lung cancer are linked to tobacco smoking. In addition, about 80% of the total deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are caused by tobacco smoking (CDC, 2013). There is a continued rise in the number of deaths as a result of tobacco smoking not only in the US but across the world. In conclusion, tobacco is a drug containing nicotine and other chemical components that have more harmful effects on the body than the benefits. Apart from addiction, almost every organ of the body is susceptible to the effects of smoking. The highly affected organs are lungs, the heart and the brain. Cancers are quite prevalent as a result of tobacco smoking. References Brandt, A. M. (2007). The cigarette century: the rise, fall and deadly persistence of the product that defined America. New York: Basic Books CDC, (2014). Health effects of cigarette smoking. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/ Foulds, D. et al (n.d). Health effects of Tobacco, nicotine and exposure to Tobacco smoke pollution. Retrieved from http://www.tobaccoprogram.org/pdf/foulds-brick08.pdf Kuper, H., Boffetta, P. & Adami, H. O. (2002). Tobacco use and cancer causation: association by tumour type. Journal of internal medicine 252 (3): 206–224 Mamun, A.A, et al (2004). Smoking decreases the duration of life lived with and without cardiovascular disease: a life course analysis of the Framingham Heart Study. European Heart Journal 25 (5): 409–415 Warnakulasuriya, S. et al (2010). Oral health risks of tobacco use and the effects of cessation. International Dental Journal, 60, 7-30. Read More