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Each year more than 443,000 deaths occur due to smoking while 50,000 deaths are contributed to second hand smoke. The sad thing is, each of these deaths were preventable.

Smoking cigarettes allows you to be exposed to over 49 different carcinogens including formaldehide and ammonia. Every puff you take forces your lungs to work harder to oxygenate other cells in the body. In addition to this, it also depletes Elastin, an enzyme in the lungs which allows them to be more flexible. With depletion in elastin, you become more susceptible to emphysema.

When a cigarette is inhaled, tar coats the lungs damaging them and the heart. 160,000 deaths in the United States are smoking/heart related deaths each year. In addition, smoking creates a rise in blood pressure and increase clotting time which then leads to stroke.

Effects on the lungs:

The lungs contain tiny air sacs called alveoli. The alveoli are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and gases through a thin layer of epithelial cells. The surface of alveoli are covered with a thin layer of pulmonary surfactant that keeps the alveoli from collapsing on exhalation. Smoking causes damage to the alveoli, preventing their ability to receive oxygen from the blood. Smoking causes 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% in women.

Lung Cancer:

Oddly enough, you do not have to be a smoker to get lung cancer. There are numerous cases of people dying from lung cancer who never smoked in their entire lives. It is documented that out of 20,000 new cases of lung cancer, 10 to 15% will not be smokers. Additional causes of lung cancer include:

Second-hand smoke Arsenic Asbestos Chromium Radon gas – the number one cause of lung cancer in those who don’t smoke. Excessive exposure to radiation

How lung cancer develops:

Lung cancer presents due to the exposure to carcinogens in the air, often in the places where we live and work, resulting in lesions or tumor growth. Tumors are an uncontrolled overgrowth of cells. These mutated cells form growths that can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). They begin to grow and cause obstructions, later pressing on other nearby organs causing extreme pain. Most lung cancers aren’t found until they are in their later stages.

Treatment for lung cancer?

Treatment is totally dependent upon the type and extent of the malignancy, as well as the patient’s health. Choice of treatments includes surgical intervention, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of these choices. Clinical trials of new and innovative procedures are another avenue that can be taken. Your doctor will have information on clinical trials that may be available to take part in.

Barb Hicks is a registered nurse and highly regarded writer who loves to share her knowledge. She is a featured writer on Clivir.com where she provides more articles about How Smoking Hurt Your Heart and Ways to Stop Smoking Cigarettes .