Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking

Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general.^1,2

Quitting smoking lowers your risk for smoking-related diseases and can add years to your life.^1,2

Smoking and Death

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.¹

• Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths.^1,2,3
• Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following causes combined:⁴
  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
  • Illegal drug use
  • Alcohol use
  • Motor vehicle injuries
  • Firearm-related incidents

• More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.¹
• Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths.^1,2 More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.⁵
• Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).¹
• Cigarette smoking increases risk for death from all causes in men and women.¹
• The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in the U.S.¹

Smoking and Increased Health Risks

Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.¹

• Estimates show smoking increases the risk:
  • For coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times^1,6
  • For stroke by 2 to 4 times¹
  • Of men developing lung cancer by 25 times¹
  • Of women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times¹
• Smoking causes diminished overall health, increased absenteeism from work, and increased health care utilization and cost.¹

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

Smoking and Cancer

Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body:^1,2 (See figure above)

• Bladder
• Blood (acute myeloid leukemia)
• Cervix
• Colon and rectum (colorectal)
• Esophagus
• Kidney and ureter
• Larynx
• Liver
• Oropharynx (includes parts of the throat, tongue, soft palate, and the tonsils)
• Pancreas
• Stomach
• Trachea, bronchus, and lung

Smoking also increases the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases in cancer patients and survivors.¹

If nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen.^1,2

Smoking and Other Health Risks

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and affects a person’s overall health.^1,2

• Smoking can make it harder for a woman to become pregnant. It can also affect her baby’s health before and after birth. Smoking increases risks for:^1,2,5
  • Preterm (early) delivery
  • Stillbirth (death of the baby before birth)
  • Low birth weight
  • Sudden infant death syndrome (known as SIDS or crib death)
  • Ectopic pregnancy
  • Orofacial clefts in infants

• Smoking can also affect men’s sperm, which can reduce fertility and also increase risks for birth defects and miscarriage.²
• Smoking can affect bone health.^1,5
  • Women past childbearing years who smoke have weaker bones than women who never smoked. They are also at greater risk for broken bones.
• Smoking affects the health of your teeth and gums and can cause tooth loss.¹
• Smoking can increase your risk for cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens that makes it hard for you to see). It can also cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is damage to a small spot near the center of the retina, the part of the eye needed for central vision.¹
• Smoking is a cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus and can make it harder to control. The risk of developing diabetes is 30–40% higher for active smokers than nonsmokers.^1,2
• Smoking causes general adverse effects on the body, including inflammation and decreased immune function.¹
• Smoking is a cause of rheumatoid arthritis.¹

Quitting and Reduced Risks

• Quitting smoking cuts cardiovascular risks. Just 1 year after quitting smoking, your risk for a heart attack drops sharply.²
• Within 2 to 5 years after quitting smoking, your risk for stroke may reduce to about that of a nonsmoker’s.²
• If you quit smoking, your risks for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder drop by half within 5 years.²
• Ten years after you quit smoking, your risk for lung cancer drops by half.²

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. QuickStats: Number of Deaths from 10 Leading Causes—National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2013:62(08);155. [accessed 2017 Apr 20].
4. Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL. Actual Causes of Death in the United States. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association 2004;291(10):1238–45 [cited 2017 Apr 20].
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, 2001 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking: 25 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 1989 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].