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Effects of Tobacco Use on the Human Body

Both for pleasure and medicinal reasons, inhalation of many substances has been part of civilization for thousands of years. It means that abuse of this kind has also been indigenous in our community. Many other agents have been sniffed and taken in through the respiratory tract by all segments of our population, although tobacco is probably the most abused inhalant. Many young people and adults suppose that there are no impacts of smoking on the body until they get to middle age. A person’s first cigarette will not cause cancer, heart disease or stroke but regular smoking is what has been known to cause the chronic illnesses. However, that does not mean that smoking effects will not happen much sooner. As a matter of fact, smoking has various immediate health impacts on the brain and also on respiratory, cardiovascular, immune and other systems (Christopher, p 96). Most start to damage the body with the first cigarette sometimes irreversibly and rapidly producing severe medical conditions and health effects, while these immediate effects do not all produce noticeable symptoms. In that case, the paper will focus on the consequences of smoking on human body precisely the discussion will focus on effects on the brain, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system.

Many young people and young kids inappropriately believe that trying with smoking or even necessary use will not result in any underlying dependency. In fact, recent research indicates that complex addiction symptoms such as having the powerful smoking urge, anxiety or irritation, or having unsuccessful trial not to smoke can be apparent among young people within days or weeks after occasional smoking fast starts. An individual who is seen as an average smoker starts smoking at the age of twelve and may be an average smoker at the age of fourteen. Almost ninety percent of young people that are regular smokers report complicated, powerful cravings, and more than seventy percent of adolescent smokers have already attempted and failed to stop smoking. What may be seen as a luxury to the nonsmokers can quickly become a necessity to the regular smoker because of the highly addictive nature of nicotine.

There are many pathologic impacts of smoking on the cardiovascular system. Vascular intima injury, assumed to be direct as a result of nicotine use, can accelerate the atherosclerosis development in young individuals bearing no other risk causes. The damage caused by smoking hastens the progression of the disease especially for patients who already have atherosclerosis. Carbon monoxide raises proliferations of the smooth muscle cell that can exacerbate the nicotine physiologic impacts on the body and eventually result to cardiomyopathy. Once tobacco smoke gets into the body, the physiologic consequences of smoking are evident. The heart rate and cardiac output both raises peripheral arteries vasoconstriction which increases peripheral vascular resistance and pressure of the blood. The flow regulation gets impaired following vasoconstriction of the coronary arteries. Patients with coronary artery disease might develop ischemia since the increased stress placed on the arteries raises myocardial oxygen demand.

The incidence of dysrhythmias rises especially in patients at risk. The ventricular fibrillation threshold reduces. Because of the relatively short plasma half-life of the substance, these impacts are primarily caused by the stimulant effects of nicotine and dissipate fifteen to thirty minutes after cessation of inhalation. A correlation between cerebral aneurysms and smoking has significantly been known with approximately sixty-six percent of a patient having torn aneurysms and currently taking cigarettes (Melissa). For the formation and rupture of intracranial aneurysms indeed, smoking is the most modifiable risk factor.

Other research has located evidence of a gene surrounding connection with tobacco use and intracranial aneurysm tear. Aneurysms are most likely expected to develop since the cause may be related to repeated episode of hypoxia that weakens the cerebral vasculature. Smoking also disrupts the heart rate which is a measure of how a person’s heart pumps blood around the body. Young smokers have a normal heart rate of about two to three beats a minute higher than the young adult nonsmokers resting heart rate. As soon as thirty minutes after puffing, nicotine consumption raises a resting heart rate; and that means the heart rate will be higher if the nicotine consumption will be high as well. It means that a smoker’s heart needs to work more compared to that on a nonsmoker because a heart that works harder means that it’s a heart that can easily get tired and may lead to early heart attacks or stroke.

Effects of smoking on the brain

Section of the addictive nicotine power originated from its direct impact on the brain. A Cigarette Smoker also depicts evidence of a greater rate of behavioral difficulties in addition to a well-understood chemical dependency. Smoking has long been known to increase stress contrary to the fundamental belief that it reduced stress. Research has indicated that on average, smokers have greater stress levels compared to nonsmokers. The relaxation feelings experienced by smokers while smoking is primarily reciprocation of the current unstressed state that nonsmokers go through regularly. On the other hand, smoking has been proven to alter the brain chemistry. Smokers’ brain cells specifically brain receptors have been shown to have fewer dopamine receptors when compared to nonsmokers (Musa Basser). The brain cell receptors are explained as the molecules that fall on the cell outside the region that interacts with molecules that fit in the receptor, more like a key and a lock. It means that the receptors are significant because they protect and mediate the cell functions. For example, the receptor gets unlocked when the right molecule comes along, setting off a series of events to carry out certain cell operations. Certain receptors initiate distinct cell activities.

It is evident that smokers hold fewer dopamine receptors, a particular cell receptor located in the brain is assumed to play a significant role in smoking addiction. While participating in certain behaviors like eating, drinking, and copulation dopamine is usually released naturally. The subsequent reduction in dopamine leaves the smoker craving more cigarettes, since the initial increase in dopamine operation from nicotine results initially in pleasant feelings for the smokers (Lucinda). In the smoking process, new animal researchers have shown that brain chemistry and receptors may be altered early. Constant smoking may go on changing the brain chemistry which includes lowering the dopamine receptors and as a result leading to an increased craving and addiction risk. The brain chemistry dynamics may be for a lifetime. Apparently, following the responsibilities of the receptors in other cognitive roles, such as intelligence, is not known, how cigarette smoking impacts other brain functions by disrupting brain chemistry is not known.

The respiratory system involves the passages from nose and sinuses down to the lungs smallest airways. They can all be impacted by tobacco smoke simultaneously because all of these spaces are in direct communication with one another. There are various immediate and rapid consequences caused by smoking on the respiratory system, and they pose multiple effects on a person’s health (Christopher). Smoking is believed to reduce an individual physical performance because if the body is under stress or active, it needs that high oxygen level to be taken to active muscles. The poor physical function will be as a result of a combination of bronchospasm and increased phlegm production results in obstruction and reduced lung function. Smoking limits adult breathing capacity because it stunts lung development in adolescent girls. It means that smoking can also restrict future physical potential since it does not only limit an individual current state of fitness.

On the other hand, smoking causes bronchospasm which is explained as the air passage irritability or the significant tightening of the air passages of the lungs. Bronchospasm makes air passages lesser and results to wheezing which is the similar to that encountered by an individual with asthma during an attack. Smokers are susceptible to this kind of reaction to tobacco smoke though they may not have asthma. A person with asthma severely worsens their condition once they start smoking. As the body attempts to get more air into irritated lungs, bronchospasm makes the breathing more difficult. Smoking also messes with the respiratory system atrocious and cause a persistent cough. A smoker is faced with a hard task of clearing increased amounts of phlegm with a cough alone especially without the assistance of cilia. Cilia is defined as finger-like hairs that cover the lung air passages and move in a rhythmical manner to remove mucus from the lungs. The smoker’s only defense against the harmful products of tobacco smoke is a persistent cough while irritating. From the time they start smoking, a smoker will likely have a persistent annoying cough. A smoker who does not cough is probably failing to perform an efficient job of lungs clearing of the harmful irritants of nicotine.

The inhaled agents’ abuse of any type can result in damage to every individual organ system and places the patient at the death risk, either from illness related to chronic susceptibility or physiologic perturbations at the time of acute intoxication. The complications for the anesthesia caregivers are a lot, and efficient patents management starts with obtaining a substance abuse history. While some of the impacts are entirely or partly reversible upon stopping smoking, a study has indicated that many are not easily reversible (Gaete, Jorge and Ricardo Araya). Some smoking caused damage just cannot be reversed though quitting smoking offers enormous health benefits. Moreover, lots of the impacts discussed in the paper can result to much hurt to children and other people soon they start smoking and well before they become regular smokers. Though people may wish to assume the effects of smoking on a human body, the effects are comprehensive and are risk factors to causing other complex illnesses. To save yourself the trouble of succumbing to heart attack or stroke following cigarette abuse, it is necessary and safe to choose the best path and quit smoking. Addiction is what makes it hard for smokers to leave the habit and medics need to have full closure of a patient substance abuse. It is apparent smoking can cause remarkable effects on the human body.

Works cited

England, Lucinda J., et al. "Review Article: Developmental Toxicity of Nicotine: A Transdisciplinary Synthesis and Implications for Emerging Tobacco Products." Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 72, 01 Jan. 2017, pp. 176-189. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.11.013.

Gaete, Jorge and Ricardo Araya. "Individual and Contextual Factors Associated with Tobacco, Alcohol, and Cannabis Use among Chilean Adolescents: A Multilevel Study." Journal of Adolescence, 16 Feb. 2017. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.02.011.

Hunter, Christopher L., et al. "Health Behaviors: Tobacco Use, Overweight and Obesity, and Physical Activity." Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care: Step-By-Step Guidance for Assessment and Intervention., American Psychological Association, 2017, pp. 85-107. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/0000017-006.

Mercincavage, Melissa, et al. "Full Length Article: Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarette Advertising: How False Beliefs and Subjective Ratings Affect Smoking Behavior." Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 21 Dec. 2016.

Sami, Musa Basser, et al. "Does Cannabis Affect Dopaminergic Signaling in the Human Brain? A Systematic Review of Evidence to Date." European Neuropsychopharmacology, vol. 25, 01 Aug. 2015, pp. 1201-1224. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.03.011.