Side effects of cigarettes among teenagers in 2023
By Khalifa Yakubu
Cigarette is an odourless, colourless gas that is released from burning tobacco.when it is inhaled it enters the blood stream and interferes with working of the heart.
Smoking cigarettes causes about 80%or (8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).
We can trace this back to the US Surgeon General in 1964 it was “official” that cigarettes smoking causes lung cancer.But in the 50+ years that followed,we learned that smoking is responsible for many awful diseases, contributing to the 480,000 lives lost to tobbaco we face today.
Here are some health consequences of smoking you might not have heard before…:
1.Going Blind: smoking doesn’t do your peepers any good.smoking increases your risk of age related macular degeneration
The leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 65.
2.Type 2 Diabetes: smoking contributes to type 2 Diabetes and increases the risk of complication from the disease including poor blood flow to the legs and feet.This can result to infection and result in the need to amputate a limb.yes you could lose your leg or foot.
3.Erectile dysfunction:Male sexual function is affected when u smoke.Tobacco causes narrowing of blood vessels all over your body including those that supply blood to the penis.Big news is that quitting will make a quiet difference.
4.Ectopic pregnancy:Ectopic pregnancy is a life threatening Reproductive complication that is more likely in smokers it occurs when a fertilised egg implants somewhere other than the uterus,the egg can’t survive, and it puts the pregnant’s person life at serious risk.
5.Hip Fracture:Smokers lose bone density at a faster rate than non smokers which puts u at risk for breaking body parts like your hip.putting down the cigrattes can help slow down the process and keep you breaking a sweat,not your bones,on the dance floor.
6.Colorectal Cancer:Colorectal cancer,which forms in your intestines(colon or rectum),is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.One of the reasons? Yup cigarettes smoking is linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from this type of cancer.
7.Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease more common in women that can affects the joints in your hands and feet.It causes painful swelling that can eventually result in bone loss and joint smoking is one of the causes,and is also associated with developing the disease at an earlier age.
8.Cleft lip and cleft palate:This birth defects, commonly,called orofacial clefts,occur when a baby’s lip or mouth doesn’t develop properly during pregnancy.Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to babies with orofacial clefts.
9.Fertility Issues:”Parents to be”,Take note,Smoking can affect ur ability to conceive.it causes reduced fertility in women and can contribute to other problems during pregnancy.
10.Gum Disease:As if potentially losing a limb is not enough,you also lose ur teeth from smoking.Smoking contributes to periodonititis.
By Khalifa Yakubu, is a 200 level student, of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Department of Mass Communication.
