Smoking causes significant physical changes to the lungs over time. Healthy lungs are pink and normally sized while smoker's lungs become gray or black, inflamed, and enlarged. The diaphragm muscle also weakens in smokers. These changes impair lung function and cause symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and low oxygen levels. Damage to cilia and blood vessels from cigarette chemicals drive inflammation and physical changes in the lungs. The risks are especially concerning for young people as vaping can impact brain development and cause serious long-term health problems.
Smoking causes significant physical changes to the lungs over time. Healthy lungs are pink and normally sized while smoker's lungs become gray or black, inflamed, and enlarged. The diaphragm muscle also weakens in smokers. These changes impair lung function and cause symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and low oxygen levels. Damage to cilia and blood vessels from cigarette chemicals drive inflammation and physical changes in the lungs. The risks are especially concerning for young people as vaping can impact brain development and cause serious long-term health problems.
Smoking causes significant physical changes to the lungs over time. Healthy lungs are pink and normally sized while smoker's lungs become gray or black, inflamed, and enlarged. The diaphragm muscle also weakens in smokers. These changes impair lung function and cause symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and low oxygen levels. Damage to cilia and blood vessels from cigarette chemicals drive inflammation and physical changes in the lungs. The risks are especially concerning for young people as vaping can impact brain development and cause serious long-term health problems.
Smoking causes significant physical changes to the lungs over time. Healthy lungs are pink and normally sized while smoker's lungs become gray or black, inflamed, and enlarged. The diaphragm muscle also weakens in smokers. These changes impair lung function and cause symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and low oxygen levels. Damage to cilia and blood vessels from cigarette chemicals drive inflammation and physical changes in the lungs. The risks are especially concerning for young people as vaping can impact brain development and cause serious long-term health problems.
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Healthy lungs Smoker’s lungs
Pink Gray or black
Normal size Hyperinflated
No inflammation Patches of inflammation
Dome-shaped Diaphragm muscle loss diaphragm
Smoking not only causes physical changes but also alters the function of the lungs. The amount of time that it takes for the changes to develop varies among individuals.
common side effects of vaping include:
Coughing Dry/sore mouth and throat Shortness of breath Mouth and throat irritation Headaches Dizziness Nausea Heart palpitations Sleepiness Eye irritation Weakened taste Burning or scratchy feeling in mouth, lips and throat
Coughing
It is commonTrusted Source for smokers to cough frequently or even develop a chronic cough.
Often, smokers’ lungs sustain damage to the cilia. Cilia are small hairs in the airway that help keep dirt and other irritants out of the lungs.
Low oxygen levels
Smoking may leadTrusted Source to thickening and scarring of the capillary walls in the lungs. The capillaries are small blood vessels, which allow oxygen to pass through and subsequently travel to the tissues in the body.
Wheezing
Typically, a smoker’s lungs have more inflammationTrusted Source than healthy lungs. The
chemicals in cigarettes may damage the tissues in the lungs, which leads to inflammation.
Shortness of breath
The combination of the changes that smoking causes in the lungs may lead to shortness of breath. Several of these changes, including damage to the cells that line the airways, destroyed cilia, and increased mucus, make breathing difficult.
Why smoking changes the lungs
Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicalsTrusted Source, including:
nicotine
ammonia
carbon monoxide
acetaldehyde What are the long-term health risks for young people who vape?
Vapes can contain cancer-causing agents, toxins, heavy metals, and very fine particles that can can cause adverse health effects. (1) Vaping can have harmful, life-long impacts, especially on young people’s growing brains and bodies. Vapes can contain high levels of nicotine. Adolescence is a critical period for brain development and exposure to nicotine can have long-term health consequences, impacting memory, attention and learning.(16) Even vapes that do not contain nicotine are still not safe and can have negative, long-lasting health outcomes for young people.
Serious vaping side effects may include:
Nicotine addiction Severe lung injury Seizures Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), formerly known as idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP) Popcorn lung Strokes Heart attacks Be a good example Most often teens who smoke are influenced by parents. They emulate their elders. As parents, it's imperative to set a good example and be upright role models. Do not smoke in front of your teens. If need be, quit smoking yourself. If quitting is difficult then explain to your teen how unhappy you are with your smoking, how difficult it is to quit and that you'll keep trying until you stop smoking for good. Understand the psyche Adolescents usually smoke due to peer pressure or make a statement. It's their way of proclaiming their independence. Also they smoke to fit into a certain group. Have a conversation with your teen on how cigarette manufacturers create a cool myth around smoking through advertisements. No is the mantra Teach your kid to say no. Tell them not to succumb to peer pressure. Give your teen the tools he or she needs to refuse cigarettes. Rehearse how to handle tough social situations. It might be as simple as saying, "No thanks. I don't smoke." Smoking costs Not only does smoking cause physiological and psychological issues, smoking also is heavy on the pocket. Talk to your teen and explain to him how the money wasted on smoking could be utilised on something worthwhile. Consider the future Usually teenagers live in the present. They believe in instant gratification. Talk to them about the long-term effects of smoking. Use loved ones, friends, neighbours or celebrities who've had tobacco-related illnesses as real-life examples of the harm tobacco use can cause. Associate yourself with anti-smoking campaigns Be part of anti-smoking campaigns by Participating in local and school-sponsored smoking prevention campaigns. Support efforts to make public places smoke-free and increase taxes on tobacco products. Apart from these there are various helplines and apps which aid in teenage deaddiction.
