If you still smoke, keep yourself in check - although this is all you can do for your own good. Check which preventive examinations should be performed by smokers. Chest X-ray and spirometry are not enough, because the effects of smoking do not only affect the lungs.
Scientific research leaves no doubt - smoking leads to a disaster. Not only is the risk of developing respiratory diseases (COPD, i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cancer, but also cardiovascular diseases and, according to the latest reports, type II diabetes.
Sworn smokers do not get any reasonable arguments or medical statistics, including shows that among women the number of new cases of lung cancer is constantly increasing and that nowadays women are more likely to die from lung cancer than from breast cancer.
Of course, it would be best if smokers quit. Some people do. We encourage those who still cannot close this stage of their life to regularly check their he alth condition. What to research? Lung X-ray is not enough …
Do you smoke? Take care of bones and joints
Cigarette smoking ruins the skeletal system and can cause joint problems. Smokers, especially mature people, suffer from osteoporosis much more often, so it is necessary to perform bone densitometry every 2-3 years. Tobacco smoke also hinders the production of synovial fluid, which increases pain and leads to the destruction of articular cartilage.
Research for smokers: spirometry
The test is performed with a spirometer. It is painless and consists in inhaling and exhaling air through a special mouthpiece. The obtained result allows for the diagnosis of obstruction, which occurs in all COPD patients and is almost always provoked by smoking. Obstruction is also common in asthma and lung cancer.
The test only takes 5 to 10 minutes. The patient immediately receives a printout with the result. Since spirometry requires a large amount of air to be drawn into the lungs and then blown through the mouthpiece, a contraindication to perform spirometry is an early diagnosis of aortic or cerebral aneurysms or retinal detachment.
Smoker, monitor your heart rate
People genetically predisposed to diseases of the cardiovascular system and smokers increaserisk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and heart attack. Therefore, smokers should take an ECG once a year and measure blood pressure regularly, at least 2 or 3 times a month. By inhaling tobacco smoke, we cause constant hypoxia, which reduces the heart's efficiency.
Nicotine also contributes to the faster deposition of cholesterol in the vessels. In this way, atherosclerotic plaques are formed, narrowing the lumen of the coronary arteries. As a consequence, the vessel may become completely blocked, i.e. a heart attack. A smoker's heart beats faster and wears out faster, so the risk of early death increases. The constituents of cigarette smoke damage the endothelium of all vessels.
This will be useful to youEmphysema test
Based on blood analysis, it is possible to detect emphysema in smokers before its first symptoms appear. The test - not yet available in Poland - is based on the detection of endothelial particles (EMP) detaching from tiny blood vessels, called capillaries, that surround the alveoli. It is the alveoli entwined with capillaries that enable gas exchange. The destruction of the bubbles makes it difficult and, with time, even impossible to breathe.
Smoking increases the risk of AMD
Smoking cigarettes has a negative effect on the condition of the eyes. Tobacco smoke constricts the vessels and leads to hypoxia in the retina, which is one of the reasons for its detachment. In addition, the toxic substances in the smoke trigger many reactions which result in the formation of free radicals that damage the retina. Toxins also reduce the eye's natural defenses because the blood lacks the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. The deficiency of these substances favors the development of another eye disease - AMD, i.e. macular degeneration.
Thus, smoking and the resulting impaired circulation contribute to the loss of central vision, that is, the recognition of details. The more cigarettes smoked, the greater the risk of macular damage. The situation will not be saved by providing the body with high doses of beta-carotene, which delays the development of AMD, because high doses of beta-carotene in smokers increase the risk of lung cancer. Cataracts are another threat. Therefore, you should visit an ophthalmologist once a year.
Tests for smokers: Chest X-ray
Smokers should have a chest x-ray every 1.5-2 years. It is the basic diagnostic test of the respiratory system. It enables the assessment of pulmonary aeration, differentiation of pneumothorax, atelectasis, the presence of pleural fluid and the detection of changes in the lung parenchyma and abnormalities in the local lymph nodes.The test also allows for a preliminary assessment of the cardiovascular system. The image of the heart, its size and location visible in the photo, allow to assess the condition of this organ and possible failure.
The shape, width and length of the aorta allow the detection of atherosclerotic lesions and the risk of arterial hypertension. Chest X-ray is always ordered by a doctor, even if it is performed for a fee. The indications for the examination are: troublesome, prolonged cough, chest trauma, chest pain, bleeding when coughing, difficulty breathing.
Stomach ulcers in smokers heal slower, so visit the gastroenterologist regularly
Cigarette smoke accelerates the secretion of gastric acid and significantly reduces the secretion of substances that protect the gastric mucosa. Hence the easy way to exhausting heartburn and stomach ulcers, which heal much slower in smokers than in non-smokers. Therefore, when heartburn or nagging abdominal pain occurs, it is worth visiting a gastroenterologist to start treatment in time.