Secondhand smoke is smoke that is released out of the end of cigarettes and is released from the mouth of smokers when they are smoking. Most people do not realize that continuous inhaling of secondhand smoke poses serious health hazards.
Secondhand smoke causes more than 41,000 deaths per year. It could cause or even make much worse a vast range of health problems like heart diseases, lung cancer, asthma, and so on.
Illnesses You Can Get From Secondhand Smoke
We don’t intend to scare you, but there are no benefits associated with secondhand smoking. In contrast, here are various illnesses secondhand smoke could cause:
- Heart disease
Secondhand smoke increases the chances of getting heart disease; it causes extra damage to the blood and heart vessels. This means that people who breathe in secondhand smoke regularly — though they do not smoke — still have an increased chance of developing heart disease.
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Lung cancer
Exposure to secondhand smoke reduces the progression-free survival rate of people diagnosed with lung cancer.
If you realize that you’ve been unknowingly exposed to secondhand smoke for a long time now, do not hesitate to visit the lung doctor or contact us.
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Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of a newborn during the first year of its life.
Infants who have been exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke have a greater risk of SIDS. The chemicals affect the child’s not-fully-developed brains and hamper their breathing.
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Asthma
Inhaling secondhand smoke could also trigger an asthma attack in asthmatic children and adults who have asthma. Several studies have shown that asthmatic children who were more exposed to secondhand smoke had more asthma attacks than their counterparts who were less exposed to secondhand smoke.
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Bronchitis and pneumonia
Children whose parents smoke are also put at more risk of lung illnesses. Due to constant inhalation of secondhand smoke, their lungs grow weaker and they’re put at higher risk of contracting pneumonia and bronchitis.
Some other risks of secondhand smoke in children include asthma attacks, ear infections, SIDS, etc. So, if you’re a parent who smokes, cut down on it or stop smoking altogether. More importantly, monitor your child’s health and take them to a lung doctor for constant checkups.
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Stroke
Secondhand smoke increases your chances of death and disability by stroke by 20 to 30%! To lessen your chances of developing a stroke and contracting other illnesses associated with inhaling secondhand smoke, then you should avoid it.
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Low-birth-weight-children
Apart from already-born children, the toxins from secondhand smoke could also negatively affect a developing fetus in its mother’s womb!
Pregnant women who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke have higher chances of giving birth to underweight or small kids. This could further cause complications like birth defects and infections.
Conclusion
Whether you smoke or come in contact with secondhand smoke, it’s still important to be intentional about your respiratory health. So, reach out to us now for a lung checkup.