Is Smoking a Risk Factor of concern?
612919
of course it is.it causes lung cancer,heart disease,bronchitis,emphysema.trust me cos it's all in my bio. book. smoking contains tar,nicotine & carbon monoxide which contribute to all of these diseases at some point.cheers!
720461
That's a very low risk, I would say (cutting out the cigars would help) but a lot of this is genetic - some people drink and smoke all their lives and never get cancer and some people eat organic food, never drink, never smoke and get cancer.  It's the way it is.  However, you'll be less likely to get cancer if you live a healthy lifestyle.
666422
BIG HEALTH THREAT. smoking catnip WILL colapse your lungs not could will happend to a kid i went to high school with
196248
Drinking doesn't directly cause harm to anyone else. True, over indulgence can cause people to make irrational decisions which can be harmful or even deadly, but smoking is ALWAYS dangerous. I have had breathing issues since I was a baby and being around cigarette smoke greatly aggravates that. It's not fair for other peoples health to be constantly compromised because of other's addictions.
198496
Here's a small list:\n\na. Smoking (of any kind- ciggs, sheesha, weed, etc)\nb. Obesity\nc. Alcohol consumption\nd. Family history of cardiac problems or if you have a diagnosed heart problem\n\nPlease note that the above mentioned risks (except d.) decrease considerably once you stop the mentioned activity.\nThere are more, perhaps, and you can always verify them with your family doctor.
520412
1. Heredity\n2. Smoking\n3. Being around secondary smoke\n4. High cholesterol\n5. Age\n    Many many more.
689797
First teh AHA primarily deals with heart disease.  You may be refering to the American Lung Association, which deals w/ lung ca.  I work in the largest and perhaps best cancer hospital in the world, and do research on cancer (but not lung).  I think everyone should look at the evidence about what causes lung cancer.  Sure, everyone knows a story about such and so smoked their whole life and didn't get ca.  However, smoking definately promotes lung ca, there is so much evidence for this.  Further, lung ca has increased recently, in correlation with worsening air pollution.  Essentially all you can say is, well, I'll smoke and if i get lung ca, so be it.  But know that your chances for getting ca soares, something like 30 fold above non-smokers.  And lung ca is very very difficult to treat, because it presents everywhere, and it's refractory to treatment.  But you shouldn't feel like health professionals are telling you what you can and can't do.  But because of research we know the mechanisms that increase susceptibility to lung ca, and smoking is the major one.
786587
There are 2 types of risk factors for coronary heart disease.  \n\nThe first type is the non-modifiable (ie what you are stuck with!!)  which includes:\n\nFamily History (if first line relatives, parents or siblings, has cardiovascular disease eg stroke, heart disease, under the age of 60)\n\nDiabetes (diet/tablet controlled diabetics are 4 times more likely to get heart disease and insulin controlled are up to 9 times more likely)\n\nAge (obviously as age increases risk increases)\n\nMale/Female (men are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease under 60 compared to women.  But post menopause women's risk increases dramatically and by the age of 70 the risk is about equal between men and women.  But remember heart disease is still the biggest killer in women!!)\n\nThe other type of risk factor is the modifiable (ie something you can change).  These risk factors include:\n\nSmoking (Estimated around 20% cardiac deaths due to smoking, even regular passive smoking can increase risk by 25%)\n\nDiet (Average UK diet is poor, high salt intake, high saturated fat intake.  Just 13% of the UK population eat the recommended 5 portions fruit and veg a day!!)\n\nLack of Exercise (Even moderate exercise can reduce risks by up to 50%)\n\nAlcohol (Moderate amount 2 - 3 units a day lowers risk.  But binge drinking increases it)\n\nObesity (UK has the fastest rate of obesity in the developed world!!)\n\nHigh Blood Pressure (About 40% men and women in the UK have or are being treated for high BP >140/90mmHg)\n\nStress\n\nHigh Cholesterol
266021
I haven't seen any studies, but I suspect that light smoking, like any other vice, is not that harmful to you. The figures about how every cigarette shortens your life by such-and-such time is based on the average lifespan of fairly heavy lifetime smokers compared to lifetime non-smokers. It's kind of like the average lifespan of a lifetime non-drinker vs. someone who's putting away a fifth of Jack Daniels every day. Light, infrequent drinking probably doesn't have a single negative effect on one's health. The biggest danger is that light smoking often leads to heavy smoking, where there are significant health risks.
291890
A smoker has increased risk of respiratory and vascular complications. Smoking actually creates a tar substance in the lungs and decreases the persons capacity to take in oxygen. Also smokers veins and arteries are constricted from chemicals in the cigarettes. This puts them at a higher risk for blood clot causing stroke.
1037054
You will need to do some reading yourself.   I will give you some examples, for you to look up.\n\nExamples of Risk factors (AFAIK):\n\na)cardiovascular disease: having certain genes for apolipoproteins eg apoE4 IIRC, or smoking/ no exercise, obesity, anxiety.\n\nb)diabetes: having the gene that predisposes you to type 1 DM if / when you catch a certain virus, and then catching that virus ... or not. Having the gene that predisposes you to type 2 DM, and then not controlling bodyweight, not exercising, not having a healthy diet.\n\nc)cancer: having a gene that predisposes you to tumours eg I have Gorlin Syndrome, and then exposing yourself to carcinogens eg Xrays, UV, etc... or not.  I have few tumours (for a Gorlin person), but would have many more if I went out in the sun without protecting my skin.  For that matter, dark - skinned Gorlin people have far fewer skin cancers than us whiteys.\n\nd)asthma: I am not sure if there are genes that predispose the immune system to respond that way, eg by making immunoglobulin class E instead of other classes.  There is a theory that growing up in a house that is "too hygienic" adds risk; exposure to pets, dirt and other kids reduces risk (they say).  Yet atopy runs in families, too.\n\nAll these things are combinations of "Nature" and "Nurture", as the effects have been called, historically.
1126881
No, it is a theoretical thing. The only thing that is sure is your chance of getting ill increases. You can never prove it was the secondhand smoke, bad diet, drinking. Just that it did not help.
629496
maybe they smoke too much
128575
The health effects of tobacco smoking are related to direct tobacco smoking, as well as passive smoking, inhalation of environmental or secondhand tobacco smoke.\n\nThe United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco use as "the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide".[1]\n\nAn indirect public health problem posed by cigarettes is that of accidental fires, usually linked with consumption of alcohol. Numerous cigarette designs have been proposed, some by tobacco companies themselves, which would extinguish a cigarette left unattended for more than a minute or two, thereby reducing the risk of fire. However the tobacco companies have historically resisted this idea, on the grounds that the nuisance involved in having to relight a cigarette left untouched for too long would reduce their sales. In fact, untreated tobacco formed into a cigarette will extinguish itself relatively quickly if left alone, and as a result cigarette tobacco is treated chemically to allow it to smolder indefinitely.\n\nThe main health risks in tobacco pertain to diseases of the cardiovascular system, in particular smoking being a major risk factor for a myocardial infarction (heart attack), diseases of the respiratory tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and emphysema, and cancer, particularly lung cancer and cancers of the larynx and tongue. Prior to World War I, lung cancer was considered to be a rare disease, which most physicians would never see during their career. With the postwar rise in popularity of cigarette smoking, however, came a virtual epidemic of lung cancer.\n\nA person's increased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time that a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someone stops smoking, then these chances steadily although gradually decrease as the damage to their body is repaired.\n\nDiseases linked to smoking tobacco cigarettes include:\n\nlung cancer and other cancers \nstroke \nperipheral vascular disease \nbirth defects of pregnant smokers' offspring \nBuerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans) \nimpotence chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis in particular \nMore likely to develop cataracts that may cause blindness \nMore likely to develop cataracts that may cause blindness \n \nThe incidence of lung cancer is highly correlated with smoking.Cigar and pipe smokers tend to inhale less smoke than cigarette smokers, so their risk of lung cancer is lower but is still several times higher than the risk for nonsmokers. Pipe and cigar smokers are also at risk for cancers of the oral cavity, larynx (voice box), or esophagus, a risk which was widely hypothesized before any link between smoking and cancer was scientifically proved as seen in the news coverage of the tobacco-related cancers of two American presidents; Ulysses S. Grant died in 1885 at age sixty-three after a long and painful public battle with throat cancer which was widely assumed at the time to be the result of his lifelong cigar habit, and his successor Grover Cleveland was diagnosed in 1893 with cancer of the left jaw, which was frequently remarked upon by the press and public as the side where he usually had a cigar clamped. Similarly, cancer of the mouth and jaw is also a risk for chewing tobacco. The benefits of smoking cessation are immediate: blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature return to normal range; heart attack risk decreases; ability to smell and taste is enhanced; circulation improves.\n\nIt is generally assumed that the major motivational factor behind smoking is the nicotine it contains. However, the practice of ingesting the smoke from a smoldering leaf generates an enormous number of active chemical compounds, loosely lumped together as 'tar', many of which are biologically react
880827
Yes, it would definitely cause some damage to your lungs (not really sure how serious) and it can also stunt your growth. You also need to consider what if you become addicted and end up smoking more than a pack a week and for longer than a year.
1014735
Some studies have shown that drinking in moderation may actually help prevent heart disease. No studies have ever shown any potential health benefits from smoking, and there are a lot of potential health problems caused by smoking.
295623
Smoking is a huge risk factor for erectile dysfunction - not to mention lung disease and cancer, and heart diseease.  Men who smoke are far more likely to develop erectile dysfunction and get it earlier than men who do not.