Men's Health: Six Major Health Hazards of Smoking—From Sexual Dysfunction to the Risk of Passive Smoking

The Health Effects of Smoking

1. Smoking reduces lifespan and causes premature death. A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) states that at least one million people worldwide die prematurely each year due to smoking. Of the 600,000 new lung cancer cases annually, the vast majority are caused by smoking. Approximately 90% of lung cancer cases and one-third of all cancer cases are attributed to smoking. 75% of chronic bronchitis and 25% of heart disease are caused by smoking. In the United States, 25% of all deaths may be attributed to smoking, compared to only 5% due to alcohol poisoning. Statistics from Shanghai show that in the 1970s, the lung cancer mortality rate increased by 82% for men and 65% for women compared to the 1960s. Smokers are 8 to 15 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers. According to WHO research data from the US, UK, Canada, and other countries, people who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day have a 10.8 times higher risk of lung cancer, a 6.1 times higher risk of bronchitis and emphysema, a 5.4 times higher risk of laryngeal cancer, a 4.1 times higher risk of oral (lip and tongue) cancer, a 3.4 times higher risk of esophageal cancer, a 2.8 times higher risk of peptic ulcers, a 2.2 times higher risk of cirrhosis, a 1.9 times higher risk of bladder cancer, a 1.7 times higher risk of myocardial infarction, and a 1.5 times higher risk of arteriosclerosis compared to non-smokers. Smoking can also reduce the body's ability to detect early signs of heart disease and worsen various diseases. Chest pain is one of the important early signs of heart disease, which may be caused by insufficient oxygen supply to the heart due to local blood vessel blockage. Non-smokers can feel the pain caused by the disease in the early stages, allowing for timely detection and effective treatment. However, smokers have a significantly reduced ability to perceive these early pain symptoms because nicotine and other harmful substances in cigarettes paralyze the nervous system, reducing the body's ability to sense pain caused by lesions and masking early symptoms, making them difficult to detect. By the time patients feel the onset of the disease, it is already quite severe, hindering early diagnosis and treatment.

2. Smoking severely damages the cardiopulmonary function. Measurements show that smokers have significantly higher levels of carboxyhemoglobin in their blood, leading to tissue hypoxia. Smokers have higher levels of α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase than non-smokers, and since this enzyme originates from the myocardium, it suggests potential myocardial damage in smokers. It also severely damages lung function, and in patients with hypertension, smoking can cause stroke.

3. The effects of smoking during pregnancy on labor and the fetus include increased perinatal mortality, leading to stillbirth, hypertension, eclampsia, premature birth, and neonatal death. A high proportion of low birth weight infants is associated with a significant increase in congenital malformations, placental abruption, premature rupture of membranes, placenta previa, and bleeding during pregnancy. A recent study indicates that smoking by pregnant women and mothers affects the normal physical, intellectual, and emotional development of their children, and increases the risk of respiratory diseases. Tobacco poses additional risks to women; smoking husbands can expose their non-smoking wives to secondhand smoke, increasing their risk of lung cancer. Female smokers are 10 times more likely to experience heart attacks than non-smokers. Smoking also causes a sharp increase in lung cancer in women; in the United States, lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer to become the most common cancer among women.

4. Smoking can cause sexual dysfunction and male infertility. Harmful substances in tobacco, once inside the body, are highly detrimental to the reproductive system. These substances can directly affect the blood vessels and nerves of the urinary and reproductive systems, weakening their normal function. This can lead to decreased vasoconstriction, impaired local microcirculation, and blocked nerve conduction. These changes can severely affect normal penile erectile function, ranging from weak and short-lasting erections to complete erectile dysfunction. Treatment of erectile dysfunction in smokers is significantly more difficult than in non-smokers, with the former showing significantly worse efficacy. This is because harmful substances in tobacco can counteract the therapeutic effects of medication, reducing its effectiveness and preventing the treatment from reaching a satisfactory level. Studies observing the treatment of erectile dysfunction in smoking and non-smoking groups, under the same clinical diagnosis and treatment plan, showed that non-smokers showed significantly better results, with most recovering normal sexual function, while smokers showed poorer results, and even some who initially responded did not achieve satisfactory sexual function. For some patients, prolonged treatment and increased dosages did not achieve satisfactory results.

Spermatogenic cells in the testes are highly sensitive to harmful substances in tobacco. Long-term heavy smoking damages spermatogenic cells, impairing the spermatogenesis process and leading to clinical manifestations such as insufficient sperm motility, high rates of sperm abnormalities, oligospermia, or even azoospermia, severely impacting male fertility. If smoking begins in adolescence, the damage to testicular spermatogenic cells is more severe, increasing the likelihood of spermatogenesis disorders and male infertility. Therefore, for their own health and the health of future generations, men are urged to avoid smoking or smoke as little as possible.

5. The effects of smoking on adolescents. Smoking has a greater impact on adolescents. Immediate effects can include dizziness, decreased judgment and intelligence, poor concentration, lower academic performance, and coughing with phlegm. Later effects can lead to various diseases. It may also affect the growth and development of testicular spermatogenic cells, leaving a hidden danger for infertility in adulthood.

Adolescents are prone to nicotine intoxication from smoking. During the combustion process, cigarettes undergo pyrolysis and chemical reactions, producing highly toxic acrylonitrile esters. Each cigarette can produce 3.2–15 vg. Even with a filter, the inhalation cannot be reduced. Once these chemicals enter the body, they inhibit cellular respiration, causing tissue hypoxia and leading to internal asphyxiation. According to reports from foreign researchers, when people smoke continuously, the carbon monoxide and acrylonitrile, highly toxic substances in the smoke, enter the bloodstream, relatively reducing the oxygen content in the blood. The first organ affected is the eye, causing a significant weakening of refractive power and light perception, and a sluggish nerve fiber conduction function, thus leading to tobacco-induced amblyopia, an early symptom of nicotine intoxication. Symptoms of nicotine intoxication include dizziness, blurred vision, eye strain, decreased visual field, dry mouth and tongue, tinnitus, hearing loss, decreased blood pressure, and muscle aches. Mild nicotine intoxication can resolve spontaneously within 3-4 hours. Severe nicotine intoxication can cause fainting and leave sequelae such as permanent amblyopia and permanent hearing impairment, or hypothyroidism. Repeated nicotine intoxication can also lead to cancer. Quitting smoking is the best way to prevent nicotine intoxication. If a person with a heavy smoking habit finds it difficult to quit immediately, they can adopt intermittent smoking, limiting themselves to no more than 3-4 cigarettes per day, thus avoiding recurrence of nicotine intoxication. For someone experiencing nicotine intoxication, the patient should immediately leave the smoking area and rest in a well-ventilated, quiet, and safe room. They should also be given some fluids to promote the excretion of harmful substances.

6. The Dangers of Passive Smoking. While the harmful effects of smoking on the smoker are well-known, the impact of passive smoking on the body has been largely overlooked. Passive smoking refers to the inhalation of smoke produced by smokers, including exhaled smoke and smoke produced directly from the combustion of cigarettes. It is also called backflow smoking, secondhand smoke, or simply secondhand smoke. Researchers classify the smoke produced by smoking into primary smoke and secondary smoke. The smoke inhaled by the smoker is primary smoke, while the smoke produced naturally by the cigarette is secondary smoke. Measurements show that secondary smoke is twice as harmful as primary smoke. One cigarette can produce 130 ng of the carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene, of which 100 ng is in secondary smoke. The nitrosamines in secondary smoke are 50 times higher than in primary smoke, and three-quarters of the nicotine content of one cigarette enters the air with secondary smoke. A survey indicates that non-smokers can experience nicotine metabolite levels in their urine equivalent to those who smoke 1-3 cigarettes daily due to passive smoking.

The most common harm to non-smokers from tobacco smoke is eye irritation, followed by headaches, nasal irritation, and coughing. Some asthmatics experience asthma attacks due to allergic reactions to cigarette smoke. Passive smokers with cardiopulmonary diseases are even more severely affected; patients with severe emphysema are more likely to experience breathing difficulties in smoky environments. Studies have found that non-smoking women who marry smoking men have a 2-4 times higher chance of developing lung cancer and a 4-year shorter lifespan.

Passive smoking also harms infants and young children. Parents who smoke increase the risk of lung diseases in infants under one year old by several times, making them more susceptible to colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other illnesses. Passive smoking during pregnancy can also negatively impact fetal development.