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The lungs of the smoker are pitch black. All because of the regular inhalation of carbon monoxide, nicotine and tar contained in cigarettes. These substances reduce the amount of oxygen supplied by the red blood cells and form a sticky substance in the smoker's lungs. Due to the impairment of the functioning of the main respiratory organ, a smoker is particularly exposed to the development of numerous lung diseases, including neoplastic changes. Find out why a smoker has black lungs and what lung diseases he is exposed to.

Smoker lungs - what do they look like?

The lungs of the smokerare daily exposed to the harmful effects of cigarette smoke, which contains about 4,000 chemicals harmful to he alth. Three of them are the most dangerous:

  • carbon monoxide - reduces the amount of oxygen supplied to the lungs by red blood cells;
  • tar - they thicken inside the lungs, forming a sticky substance in them;
  • nicotine - a toxic substance with a lethal dose from 0.06 to 0.1 grams.

Regular inhalation of these substances impairs the work of alveolar macrophages. These are the cilia that line the lungs and are designed to mechanically clean the inhaled air from dust particles, dust and any potentially harmful substances entering the lungs through the respiratory tract.

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Normally, these pollutants are removed by coughing - a natural reflex that every person performs several times a day. However, the regular deposition of harmful substances on the lungs destroys the cilia, which stop working and "sweep" the pollutants out of the respiratory tract. This results in the build-up of more and more toxic substances from cigarette smoke, including tar, which turns the lungs black.

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Smoker's lungs - the most common lung diseases among smokers

Stimulating the lungs for defense, i.e. producing more mucus while damaging the cilia, which cannot clear the lungs, impairs lung function, which increases the risk of many serious respiratory diseases, includinginclude:

  • lung cancer-the greatest impact on the risk of developing lung cancer has long-term inhalation of tobacco smoke, which has over 4,000 people. carcinogenic substances. Passive smoking also increases the risk of falling ill. The symptoms of lung cancer are: coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain and haemoptysis. The basis for its diagnosis is histopathological examination, i.e. examination of tumor specimens under a microscope in order to assess the nature of the disease process. The material is collected e.g. during bronchoscopy - endoscopic examination of the respiratory tract.
  • asthma - This is a chronic inflammatory process that leads to airway hyperresponsiveness, resulting in prolonged bronchospasm. Symptoms of asthma are: attacks of breathlessness at night, in the morning, after exercise, with a sudden change in temperature or in contact with cigarette smoke. In addition, the sick person has difficulty catching breath and feels pressure in their chests. Characteristic symptoms of asthma are also wheezing when breathing and a cough: dry or with thick, difficult to expectorate (phlegm).
  • emphysema-is a disease in which there is an abnormal enlargement of the alveoli, cracking the structures of their walls and, consequently, reducing their number. As a result, the transmission of inhaled oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream is disrupted. The initial symptoms of emphysema include: coughing, difficulty breathing, and even shortness of breath.
  • bronchitis is a chronic disease that manifests itself as a painful cough in which thick mucus is produced, pain behind the breastbone, fever, difficulty breathing and a characteristic wheezing breath;

When the damage to the lungs caused by chronic bronchitis and emphysema overlap, it develops:

  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease causes severe narrowing of the airways, which makes it difficult for the patient to both draw air from the lungs and to breathe it out. The most common symptoms of the disease are shortness of breath, chest tightness and wheezing. The tests that allow us to check if we have COPD are: spirometry (tests the volume and capacity of the lungs), blood gas levels, pulse oximetry (measures the oxygen content in the blood) and lung X-ray, which determines the severity of emphysema or bronchitis. .

Good to know: Laryngeal cancer most often affects smokers

Smoker lungs - how to protect yourself from lung diseases?

  • first of all, quit smoking as soon as possible;
  • stay awayamong smokers, to avoid inhaling cigarette smoke (so-called passive smoking);
  • avoid places polluted with coal dust, exhaust fumes or chimney smoke;
  • in the season of increased flu and other respiratory diseases, avoid large groups of people;
  • lead a he althy lifestyle: engage in physical activity, follow a diet rich in protein and calcium, potassium, vitamins C, E and other antioxidants - incl. Corotenoids and flavonoids present in vegetables and fruits with intense colors;
  • eliminate s alt, sodas and processed foods from your diet;

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Category:

Respiratory system