Coughing: Health Risks for Long-Time Smokers - Smoking Cessation

Dr. Cai Fushun reply Smoking Cessation

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Hello: In response to your question.
Coughing can have many adverse causes, ranging from acute upper respiratory infections, commonly known as colds, to chronic coughs.
As the saying goes, "The earth and water fear a leaking house; doctors fear treating coughs." Many chronic coughs are primarily caused by smoking, so when my patients come to the clinic, I usually first ask if they smoke.
If they do, they must quit smoking; otherwise, medication will be ineffective.

The history of cigarettes begins with tobacco, which was originally a type of herb.
It was first produced in Central and South America and regarded as a sacred plant, only ignited during ceremonial rituals to worship the gods.
It gradually spread to Native American tribes in North America, where it was used to entertain guests.
At that time, it was known that igniting and inhaling it would produce a pleasant sensation.
After Columbus discovered the New World in 1492, he brought tobacco back to Europe, introducing it to civilized society.
Since then, its continuous influence on human daily life has been evident, with its economic value akin to that of oil—often referred to as "black gold"—and tobacco as "green gold," providing immense business opportunities.
It wasn't until the publication of the first global report on the hazards of smoking in 1962 that people began to understand its dangers.
In Taiwan, the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act was implemented on September 19, 1997, to raise public awareness of the health risks associated with smoking, reduce smoking rates, and protect public health.
When a person inhales a cigarette, it can induce a feeling of pleasure, primarily due to nicotine, which is the first of four major substances in cigarettes.
Nicotine is the main neuroactive substance in cigarettes and is the primary reason for smoking addiction.
Inhaling small amounts can trigger effects similar to those of codeine in the brain, evoking feelings of euphoria or exhilaration, which is the "charm" of smoking addiction.
As a poet once wrote, "Smoking is like a piece of chalk; on the blackboard of night, I use it to continuously write the questions and answers of life." Many people who need to work late use cigarettes to stay alert for this reason.
However, excessive use can lead to suppressive effects, tolerance, and psychological and physiological dependence.
Reducing or stopping smoking may result in withdrawal symptoms (coughing, restlessness, chest tightness, nausea), making it difficult to quit.
We all know how challenging it is to quit drugs, requiring specialized treatment facilities, yet the dangers of nicotine addiction from smoking are often overlooked, leading to easy experimentation and difficulty in cessation.
Additionally, nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands, causing increased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, peripheral vasoconstriction, and arterial blockage, contributing to cardiovascular diseases.
Nicotine is the primary reason for smoking addiction, so for heavy smokers who smoke more than a pack a day or feel the need to smoke within thirty minutes of waking up, nicotine replacement therapies such as patches or gum can assist in quitting, with a success rate of up to 27%.
The second substance is irritants.
Cigarette smoke contains dozens of irritants, such as ammonia, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde, which are inhaled and irritate the respiratory mucosa.
The long-term stimulation of these mucous membranes leads to increased secretions, causing chronic smokers to cough up thick phlegm.
These irritants also inhibit the action of cilia on the mucosa, reducing their ability to expel foreign substances or bacteria, increasing the risk of bacterial infections, which is why chronic smokers often develop bronchitis and other diseases.
The third substance is carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin with an affinity 210 times greater than that of oxygen, so when carbon monoxide enters the body, the ratio of oxygen binding to hemoglobin decreases, leading to a state of hypoxia.
Generally, the carbon monoxide level in the blood of non-smokers is below 1%, but in smokers, it can be as high as 15% to 5%, reducing the amount of oxygen transported by hemoglobin.
Over time, this causes the body to compensate by increasing red blood cell production, which can lead to atherosclerosis, angina, and arterial embolism.
The fourth substance is the most severe: tar, which contains over a hundred carcinogenic substances.
Statistics show that 90% of lung cancer deaths, 80% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cases, 30% of all cancers, and 20% of deaths from coronary heart disease and strokes are caused by smoking.
Smokers are ten times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.
The Royal College of Physicians in the UK reported that smoking one cigarette shortens life by five and a half minutes.
The World Health Organization has labeled smoking-related diseases as "the most serious preventable physiological diseases." Smoking is a chronic killer, so we need to be more proactive in promoting awareness and implementing more tobacco harm reduction efforts to protect people from the dangers of tobacco products.

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Reply Date: 2007/07/12