Smoking and Disease

Nicotine

- highly addictive

- contricts bronchioles => increasing resistance to airflow

- contricts blood vessels => reduces blood flow

- stimulates secretion of adrenaline => increases heart rate and blood pressure

- increases stickiness of platelets => blood clot

- paralyses cilia

- damages endothelium of blood vessels

Tar

- contains carcinogens

- contains irritants

- leads to lung cancer

- associated with excess mucus production

Carbon monoxide

- reduces oxygen carrying capacity

- damages lining of arteries => increase blood pressure

Emphysema

- alveoli become overstretched and may burst

- fewer elastic fibres

- large gaps in the lungs giving smaller suface area for gaseous exchange

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