Smoker's Lung: Pathology Photo Essay (cont.)
Are any of the pulmonary consequences of smoking reversible?
First, the bad news is that emphysema is not reversible. But now, the good
news! If a person stops smoking, the inflammatory changes (chronic bronchitis)
in the airways probably will go away. Furthermore, when a person stops smoking,
the risk of developing lung cancer decreases, although it never goes back to
normal. In other words, the risk of cancer in ex-smokers is less than in
smokers, but remains greater than in non-smokers.
From what do smokers die?
Remarkably, despite a wealth of information on death rates (mortality) from
cigarette smoking, little information is available on the specific causes of
death in smokers. Smokers with COPD can die from lack of oxygen (hypoxia) in the
tissues of the body. The hypoxia occurs because there is so little functioning
lung left and/or the effort of breathing is so great that affected individuals
just stop breathing from exhaustion. Other important causes of death in smokers
include lung infection (pneumonia), lung cancer, cancers of the digestive,
urinary, and genital systems, and leukemia.
Indeed, because smoking can cause cancer in so many organs, 30% of all cancer
deaths can be related to cigarette smoking.
Nevertheless, because smoking is such a powerful risk factor for the
development of coronary atherosclerosis (hardening and blockage of the arteries
of the heart), heart disease is by far the most common cause of death in
smokers. (See the article: Heart
Attack Pathology: Photo Essay.) Moreover,
since autopsies are done in less than 10% of patients who die in hospitals and
less than 1% of patients who die in nursing homes, we really can't prove why
most smokers die. You see, even though a clinician is often correct about the
cause of a person's death, only an autopsy can be definitive. (Please see the article on Autopsy.)
Last Editorial Review: 3/8/2007
- varenicline (Chantix) - varenicline (Chantix) smoking cessation drug information including side effects, warnings, precautions, dosage, and patient information written by pharmacists on MedicineNet.com
- Chest X-ray - A chest x-ray is a radiology test that involves exposing the chest briefly to radiation to produce an image of the chest and the internal organs of the chest. chest x-ray can be used to define abnormalities of the lungs such as excessive fluid, pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, cysts, and cancers.
- Pneumonia - Learn pneumonia symptoms, causes, treatment, signs, diagnosis and types: viral and bacterial (Pneumocystis carinii, Klebsiella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia pneumoniae).
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