There is a whole litany of diseases caused by smoking. Now do only smokers get them? The answer would be no. However, because smoking affects every organ in your body, it is no wonder that there are specific maladies that are called smoking diseases. When you smoke, because every part of your body is affected, that means you have greater potential of contracting a disease.

One example is smoking and kidney disease. People think: you inhale smoke so it stands to reason that lung cancer is a possibility, but kidney disease? The problem lies in the fact that smoking can slow down the blood flow to your major organs. So if there is less blood flow reaching your kidneys, they cannot filter the blood properly and do their job. That makes sense doesn’t it?

Any type of cardiovascular disease from smoking is another no-brainer. When you smoke, it affects your blood pressure and blood flow. That means your heart has to work extra hard to keep your body oxygenated. After a while, coronary heart disease and smoking go hand in hand. In addition, smoking is listed as a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases because it slowly damages the arteries which carry oxygenated blood to your body. When these become affected, circulation becomes poor. People have had to have fingers, toes, arms and legs amputated because of these effects of smoking on cardiovascular diseases.

Heart disease caused by smoking is widely known. However, did you know that there are other smoking diseases that occur every day as well? There is lung cancer of course. Mouth, larynx, breast, ovarian and bone cancer are just a few more smoking diseases. Really, you have the potential to form any type of cancer, thanks to smoking. There are also lesser, but equally important health issues to think about as well such as sinus problems, allergies, asthma and more. It is not just smoking diseases that develop.

You can lessen your chances of smoking related diseases of course by quitting. While quitting is a great thing, please note that diseases from smoking can still occur. After all, damage from smoking is not just erased over night. It takes time for your lungs to recuperate from all that smoke. After a while, you will breathe easier but be aware there is always a risk of that smoking and heart disease factor or any other types of smoking diseases.