Smoking Can Lead To Limb Loss

Cigarette smoking is known for its severe, often deadly, health consequences. In fact, smoking is one of the leading causes of death not just in the United States, but in the entirety of the world.

There are many health conditions, some more serious than others, that can result directly from the practice of smoking. These conditions should not be taken lightly, and neither should smoking, as the consequences can lead to even the loss of one’s life.

In this article, we will go over the damage that smoking cigarettes can do to our bodies, some diseases that it might lead to, and how smoking can lead to limb loss through amputation becoming necessary.

Damage That Smoking Does To Our Bodies

As an old saying and joke goes, it is clear that our lungs were not designed to breathe in smoke, otherwise we would have been born with chimneys growing out of our backs.

In fact, smoking cigarettes does damage that is often irreversible, meaning that it can not be repaired, and we are stuck with this damage for the rest of our lives. And this damage is not limited to the lungs or respiratory system, either. Smoking affects the whole body negatively.

First, however, let’s talk about how smoking affects the respiratory system.

Smoking leads, first of all, to irritation of the airways and lung tissue. This irritation causes increased sputum production, as well as coughing, which is the body’s way to try to get rid of the unwelcome smoke and tar now present in its respiratory system.

Over time, smoking can lead to scarring, sometimes permanent, of the lung and airway tissue, which can lead to experiencing shortness of breath more and more frequently.

Smoking cigarettes also negatively affects the cardiovascular system. Tobacco, in particular nicotine, is a known vasoconstrictor, which means that it has the property of causing narrowing of the blood vessels, namely of the veins and arteries throughout the body.

This narrowing of the blood vessels leads, in turn, to an increase in blood pressure levels. Nicotine also causes us to experience a heightened heart rate, which further increases the blood pressure. High blood pressure, especially when experienced for long periods of time, can put a strain on the heart and blood vessels, causing damage to both, as well as to organs and other parts of the body which receive less nutrients and oxygen as a result.

Smoking also negatively impacts the blood cells themselves, with carbon monoxide binding itself to certain blood cells which transport oxygen throughout all areas of the body, effectively reducing the blood cells’ capacity for oxygen transportation by a significant margin.

Smoking can also cause chemical imbalances in the brain, potentially leading to depression and other psychological disorders. It also affects the hormonal balance in our bodies, leading to issues such as hormonal imbalance, which in turn can cause damage throughout our bodies.

Let’s now talk about some of the diseases caused by smoking.

Diseases That Can Be Caused By Smoking

It is worth mentioning that smoking is the leading cause behind the illness known as lung cancer. Lung cancer is a very serious condition, and the odds of survival once diagnosed are slim for most patients. It is a slow and painful death most often, making it one of the most tragic preventable deaths one can have happen.

COPD is also a serious respiratory illness that can come as a result of smoking. COPD characterizes itself through a steady, constant increase in sputum production, as well as occasional inflammation of the airway and lung tissue, leading to an ever-decreasing ability to breathe properly, and eventually death. COPD is, as of yet, incurable, and treatment only slows down its progression.

Several heart diseases and conditions, including heart arrhythmias, can occur as a direct result of smoking and the damage that tobacco smoke does to the cardiovascular system.

Atherosclerosis is yet another cardiovascular condition which can be caused by smoking. This condition involves the narrowing of the blood vessels throughout the body, particularly due to the buildup of plaque, or fatty deposits, on the inner walls of the arteries and veins in the body.

Atherosclerosis can lead to blood clots forming in the circulatory system, which can lead to serious conditions such as heart attack and stroke, depending where the blood clot had formed itself.

Let’s now look at how smoking can lead to limb loss.

Smoking Can Lead To Limb Loss

Due to the increased risk of developing blood clots that smoking brings with it, it is possible for blood clots to form inside blood vessels leading to the arms or legs, and in turn cutting off the blood supply to these areas of the body.

When this happens, the limb begins to slowly die in the absence of oxygen and nutrition. This condition is known under the name of gangrene, as the limb begins to die while still attached to the rest of the body, and starts to decompose, putting the whole body at risk of septic shock and death.

Often, gangrene cases require amputation of the suffering limb, to save the rest of the body and the patient’s life. This amputation procedure also typically involves cutting tissue that is still healthy but is just above the affected area, to prevent blood infections or septic shock from dead blood leaking into the rest of the body.

Conclusion

Smoking can and has lead to loss of limbs in many cases, and it is a sad fact that we must be aware of, so that we may make the right decision and quit the habit before serious consequences affect us.

As a matter of fact, no vice should be considered more important than our health and our bodily integrity, and we should take great care of our good health, which allows us to enjoy life to its fullest extent.

Thank you for reading, and I wish you the best of luck in your journey to quitting smoking. Take care.