There’s nothing cool about smoking

Dear Doc,

I have heard of cases where people have amputations as a result of smoking. How does smoking cause this and how it can be prevented?

Daniel

Dear Daniel,

Thanks for your question. Long-term consumption of tobacco, whether in the form of cigarette smoking or tobacco chewing, exposes a person to a rare but serious disease known as Buerger’s disease, which affects the veins and arteries in the legs and arms.

When a person has Buerger’s disease, their blood vessels become inflamed, swell and can eventually be blocked by blood clots, making it difficult for blood to get to the tips of the toes and fingers.

As a result, the surrounding skin tissues become damaged. This can cause gangrene, which occurs when body tissues are destroyed as a result of lack of blood, followed by infection.

Normally, this disease manifests first in the feet and hands, but can ultimately affect larger parts of a person’s legs and arms. The only way to prevent cigarette-related Buerger’s disease is by quitting smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption. Unfortunately for people who do not quit the practice, amputation of all or sections of a limb might be necessary.

Dear Doc,

Is there anything such as “safe smoking” and what are the effects of smoking during pregnancy?

Zippy

Dear Zippy,

There is no such thing as “safe smoking”. It is just a misconception used by advertisers to encourage people to smoke. The different types of cigarettes are harmful to health and are linked to problems such as cancers of the lips, throat, larynx, oesophagas, lungs, among others.

Therefore, whether one smokes a light cigarette, a pipe, a cigar, or a menthol cigarette, he or she still inhales the same amount of chemicals inhaled by a person who smokes a regular cigarette.

There are also certain gadgets that are claimed to minimise the effects of cigarettes. However, at the end of the day, no matter how or what you use to smoke your cigarette, you are placing your health at risk of all the diseases associated with smoking.

Women who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant should avoid smoking since tobacco gets into the bloodstream and, consequently, to the foetus. This can lead to miscarriage, particularly during the earlier stages of pregnancy, premature delivery, low birth weight babies, as well as babies born with deformities such as narrowed airwaves and reduced lung function.

Dear Doc,

Is it true that smoking can affect a person’s voice?

Concerned smoker

Dear Concerned Smoker,

One of the dangers of smoking is the effect it has on the voice.

The hot, polluted air produced during smoking flows directly to the surface of the vocal cords, causing them to become dry and irritated. A single puff of smoke lowers the ability of the voice box to rehydrate for about three hours. In smokers, the vocal cords start to change during smoking, and if they continue smoking, these changes become permanent. Voice changes that can occur include reduced pitch range, hoarseness, and vocal fatigue.

We all know women who smoke and sound like men when they talk!

Laryngitis, which is the inflammation of larynx, is a very common problem among smokers. People exposed to second-hand smoke are also at a risk of voice change. Many of these are on their way to getting cancer of the larynx.

Dear Doc,

My husband is a smoker and smokes even in the house. What are the likely effects of exposure on me and my children?

Anonymous.

Dear Anonymous,

The effects of second-hand smoke might seem less obvious to those exposed to it. However, it can be very significant, particularly for those who work or live with a smoker. The truth is that most of the smoke that emanates from a burning cigarette does not get sucked into the lungs of a smoker, but escapes into the air, meaning anyone nearby can inhale it.

Though there are laws outlawing smoking in public places, there are still some people who are at a greater risk of second-hand smoke, particularly children who regularly inhale the toxic fumes from their parents’ cigarettes. Health problems in children and infants include respiratory infections, frequent and serious asthma attacks, ear infections, as well as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Children are affected by second-hand smoke even when a parent smokes in a car only when the they are not present. That car ends up being a carrier of these chemicals, and children react to this, exhibiting symptoms such as worsening asthma.

When you breathe in smoke from a pipe, cigar, cigarette or smoke that is exhaled by a smoker, it puts you at a risk of inhaling similar amounts of chemicals breathed in by a smoker.

Tobacco smoke contains different chemical compounds, with more than 40 known to cause cancers of the lung and larynx. Some of the chemicals that enter a person’s lungs when exposed to second-hand smoke are benzene, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde.  

Dear Doc,

I have been smoking for the last few years. I really want to quit but I am afraid of what I might have to go through as a result. Kindly advise on some of the withdrawal symptoms I am likely to experience and how to overcome them.

Concerned

Dear concerned,

The fear of withdrawal symptoms is one of the reasons most smokers prefer to continue smoking. Withdrawal symptoms might include irritability, poor concentration, loss of appetite, insomnia, persistent headaches, and mouth ulcers as a result of the chemicals present in the cigarette.

Usually, withdrawal symptoms last up to 14 days but they are severe for four to six days. Therefore, it is advisable to be prepared before embarking on the journey to quitting. Find someone to walk with you through this tough time. Such people are referred to as “partners in recovery”.

It could be a counsellor, spiritual leader, family member, or even a former smoker. Formal quitting programmes offer guidelines such as staged quitting, which strives to minimise the withdrawal symptoms.

Have a question about your health? Please send it to [email protected].