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Smoking

According to the Smoking & Tobacco Use Fact Sheet produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use -- whether it is through smoking, chewing or some other form -- is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

Cigarette smoking causes an estimated 438,000 deaths, or about 1 of every 5 deaths, each year. More deaths are caused by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers. [These statistics are as of 2006, the last time the fact sheet was updated].

Cancer caused by smoking

According to the American Cancer Society, cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of the following cancers:

Smoking causes other health problems

Only about half of the deaths related to smoking are from cancer. Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke, and it makes pneumonia and asthma worse.

Using tobacco is linked with reduced fertility and a higher risk of miscarriage, early delivery (premature birth), stillbirth, infant death, and is a cause of low birth-weight in infants. It has also been linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Smoking has been linked to gum disease, cataracts, bone thinning, hip fractures, and peptic ulcers. It is also linked to macular degeneration, an eye disease that can cause blindness.

Smoking can cause or worsen poor blood flow in the arms and legs (peripheral vascular disease or PVD.) Studies looking at male smokers have found that they are more likely to have sexual impotence (erectile dysfunction) the longer they smoke, which may be due to the problem with blood flow.

Get help

The Great American Smokeout

Smokefree.gov

See Also:

• Reducing Head and Neck Cancer risk
• Breaking the Habits Beating Us