How Smoking Affects the Lungs

Smoking causes over 443,000 deaths in the United States each year that could have been prevented while second hand smoke kills over 50,000 people each year.

Cigarettes expose you to over 49 different carcinogens including formaldehide and ammonia. It also depletes an enzyme in your lungs called Elastin which allows your lungs to be more flexible. Without elastin, you are much 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 of Smoking on the lungs:

The lungs are lined with tiny air sacs called the alveoli which are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and gases through the epithelial cells. The alveoli are covered by a layer of pulmonary surfactant; their purpose is to prevent the alveoli from collapsing during an exhale. Smoking creates the inability to receive oxygen from the blood and is responsible for 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% in women.

Lung Cancer:

Lung cancer is not always caused by smoking. There are numerous cases where people have died from lung cancer and never smoked a single cigarette. Of the 20,000 new cases that appear, 10 to 15% of them will be non smokers. The 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.

How is lung cancer treated?

Options for treatment are dependent upon the health of the patient, the severity and the type of cancer involved. In general treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. In some cases, a combination of all three may be warranted. Often times there are new clinical trials available. Your physician can help you determine if you are a candidate for these clinical trials.