7.3 Smoking And The Risk Of Disease

Question 1

What is nicotine

Answer 1

• Addictive but relatively harmless drug found in tobacco smoke
• produces a sensation of calm and well being

Question 2

What is carbon monoxide

Answer 2

• poisonous gas found in tobacco smoke
• takes up some of the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood
• 10% of the blood will be carrying carbon monoxide rather than oxygen
• this can lead to a shortage of oxygen, a reason why smokers get more breathless when they exercise than non-smokers

Question 3

Why is smoking a problem during pregnancy

Answer 3

• if mother’s blood is carrying carbon monoxide, the fetus does not get enough oxygen to grow properly
• this can lead to premature births, low birthweight babies and stillbirths

Question 4

What are the effects of tobacco smoke on the cilia in the trachea and bronchi?

Answer 4

• they are anaesthetised by the some of the chemicals in tobacco smoke
• they stop working for a time, allowing dirt and pathogens down into the lungs and increasing the risk of infections
• mucus builds up over time and causes coughing

Question 5

What is tar

Answer 5

• sticky, black chemical (carcinogen) that accumulates in the lungs , turning them from pink to grey
• tar makes smokers much more likely to develop bronchitis

Question 6

What is bronchitis

Answer 6

Inflammation and infection of the bronchi

Question 7

What happens when tar builds up in the lungs

Answer 7

• the build-up of tar in the delicate lung tissue can lead to a breakdown in the structure of the alveoli
• this causes COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• this reduced the sa to volume ration of the lungs, leading to severe breathlessness and eventually death
• carcinogen: it acts on delicate lung cells and increases the risk of lung cancer developing
• tar causes other cancers in respiratory system, eg throat, larynx and trachea

Question 8

How does smoking affect the heart and blood vessels?

Answer 8

• smokers are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems (causal link)
• smoking narrows the blood vessels in your skin, ageing it
• nicotine makes the hearts rate increase whilst other chemicals damage the lining of the arteries
• this makes coronary heart disease and risk of blood clot formation more likely
• mixture of chemicals in cigarette also lead to increased in blood pressure
• this combination of effects increases risk of suffering of cardiovascular disease including heart attacks and strokes