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Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco
Alternate Names : Cigar Smoking, Cigarette Smoking, Pipe Smoking, Second-Hand Smoke, Smokeless Snuff, Tobacco Use
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Health risks
There are many, many reasons to quit using tobacco. Knowing these serious health risks can sometimes help motivate you to quit. When used over a long period, tobacco and its various chemical components (like tar, nicotine, and thousands of others) can increase your risk of:
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Cancer (especially in the lung, mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, and cervix)
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Pregnancy related problems including miscarriage, premature labor, low birth weight, and risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)
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Delayed wound healing
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Tooth and gum diseases; decreased senses of taste and smell
If you use smokeless tobacco, you have many of these same risks, including a 50 times greater risk for oral cancer with long-term use.
Even if you don't smoke yourself, but you are exposed regularly to secondhand smoke, you have a higher risk of:
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Lung cancer
- In infants and children, more respiratory infections (such as bronchitis and pneumonia), asthma, and poor lung function as the lungs mature
- Sudden and severe reactions, including eye, nose, throat, and lower respiratory tract symptoms
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- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Neurologic Disorders
- Seizure Disorders
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Description The effects of nicotine Health risks
Time to quit The benefits of quitting When to contact a medical professional
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Topics that might be of interest to you Diseases & Conditions
Angina - Stable Asthma Blood Clots Bronchitis Chronic Bronchitis Hypertension Lung Cancer - Small Cell Pneumonia Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Tremor
Tests & Exams
Blood Pressure Toxicology Screen
Other Topics
Seizures
Review Date : 11/7/2003
Reviewed By : Jacqueline A. Hart, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Boston, Ma., and Senior Medical Editor, A.D.A.M., Inc. Previously reviewed by David Webner, M.D., Department of Family Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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