Teenage Smoking :: Cigarette Smoking

Teenage Smoking: Teenagers Should Not Smoke   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teenagers should not smoke because smoking is the most preventable cause of death in America today, especially among teenage smokers. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer. It is also responsible for chronic bronchitis. Last, there is emphysema, which is another disease caused by smoking. By smoking, people have a fivefold increase in the risk of dying from lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lung cancer accounts for 29 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States and smoking accounts for about 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. The risks of dying from lung cancer are 23 times higher for male smokers and 11 times higher for female smokers than for nonsmokers. An estimated 158,700 people - 94,400 men and 64,300 women- die from this disease each year, which makes lung cancer the leading cause of cancer deaths in both sexes. The great majority of lung cancer cases could be prevented and thousands of lives could be saved each year if people would quit smoking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis and has been found to cause acute bronchitis. Acute bronchitis affects the branches of the bronchi and may develop into bronchial asthma or lobular pneumonia. Chronic bronchitis, a serious and incurable disorder, may result from repeated attacks of acute bronchitis. It is characterized by fever, chest pain, severe coughing, and often secretion of sputum (mucous material coughed up from the respiratory tract).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emphysema is a progressive respiratory disease characterized by coughing and shortness of breath, which can develop into extreme difficulty in breathing, and most of the time resulting in disability and death. In recent years, emphysema has become a very serious public health problem in terms of rapidly increasing numbers of disabilities and deaths. The highest degree of occurrence is among heavy cigarette smokers, especially those exposed to polluted air. Although people can not quite cure emphysema, abstention from smoking is essential, because it can give relief and increase functioning capacity.