Concerns About Smoking

• Cigarette smoking can easily lead to death.cigarette image by Bartlomiej Nowak from Fotolia.com
  
  Smoking accounts for approximately 20 percent of, or 443,000, deaths each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. More people die from smoking each year than the number of people that die from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, car accidents, suicides and murders combined. If you're a smoker you should understand the health risks associated with smoking.
  
  

Cancer

• Cigarette smoking can lead to cancer, which may lead to the need for chemotherapy.look at that image by Keith Frith from Fotolia.com
  
  Smoking causes approximately 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths in women, according to the CDC. Cigars contain even higher levels of cancer-causing nitrosamines than cigarettes. Nitrosamines are cancer-causing compounds known as carcinogens. Abstaining from smoking is the single most effective way a person can decrease her risk for cancer.
  
  

Heart Disease

• Cigarette smoking increases the risk for heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack.heart monitor image by JASON WINTER from Fotolia.com
  
  Heart disease refers to a group of problems that occur when the heart and blood vessels do not work the way they should and significantly increases the risk for heart attacks. Smokers have between two and four times as much risk for heart disease than non-smokers, according to the CDC. Smoking increases the tendency for blood to clot and decreases exercise tolerance, both of which lead to heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
  
  

Blood Pressure

• If you smoke cigarettes you should get your blood pressure checked by your doctor.blood pressure image by Ivonne Wierink from Fotolia.com
  
  Smoking cigarettes results in an immediate increase in blood pressure, according to The American Journal of Medicine. Blood pressure is the amount of pressure that circulating blood places on the walls of arteries. Smoking is a vascoconstrictor, which decreases blood oxygen and causes blood vessels to decrease in size, resulting in high blood pressure. High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of dying from a heart attack. High blood pressure was listed as a primary contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans in 2006.
  
  

Atherosclerosis

• If you smoke you should get a blood test to test your triglyceride levels.blood testing image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
  
  Smoking is one of the primary causes of atherosclerosis, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and leads to elevated triglyceride levels. Atherosclerosis is a condition where fatty substances accumulate on the walls of arteries. Too many triglycerides in the blood stream can lead to the narrowing and hardening of arteries, according to MedlinePlus.
  
  

Poor Wound Healing

• Smokers have a difficult time healing their wounds after surgery.laparoscopic surgery image by Grzegorz Kwolek from Fotolia.com
  
  Smoking can lead to poor would healing because it decreases tissue oxygenation, particularly after surgery, according to the New York Times. Carbon monoxide, nicotine and hydrogen cyanide are the chemicals found in cigarettes that affect wound healing, according to a study published in the United States National Library of Medicine.
  
  

Quitting Abruptly

• Quiting too quickly can result in rapid weight gain.no smoking image by hugy from Fotolia.com
  
  Quitting smoking abruptly can lead to rapid weight gain, according to a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Smokers should speak to their doctor about developing a plan that will allow them to slowly quit smoking instead of quitting abruptly if they are concerned about gaining weight.