The list of adverse effects from smoking continues to grow with each passing year According to the World Health Organization (2000), the effects of smoking are devastating to health. This paper presents a brief review of the literature on the health consequences of smoking.
Health Consequences of Smoking: The Current Research
According to Fagerstrom (2002), the health consequences of smoking, while serious, can vary in type and in intensity from person to person. This variation is attributable to differences associated with several factors. These factors include: a personÆs susceptibility to chemicals in tobacco smoke, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, the age when the person began smoking, and the number of years that the person has smoked. Fagerstrom (2002) also points out that smoking has immediate, and long-term effects as well as some irreversible effects. In terms of immediate effects, smoking raises a personÆs blood pressure and heat rate, decreases the blood flow to extremities, stimulates the nervous system briefly, weakens taste and smell, and in some cases can cause dizziness, nausea, watery eyes, and/or acid in the stomach..
Khurana, Batra, Patkar and Leone (2003) note that as smoking continues, smokers will often experience such consequences as shortness of breath, persistent coughs, reduced fitness, yellow stains on fingers and teeth and decreased sense of taste and smell. They will often have more frequent colds and flu than will non-smokers and they will find it more difficult to recover from these illnesses. Further, the skin will be affected such that smokers will have more facial wrinkles earlier and will often look older than non-smokers of the same age.
In addition, substantial research indicates that smokers have an increased risk of developing several diseases and illnesses. These include: respiratory infections such as chronic bronchitis and pne
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