Tobacco smoke and its effect on the human body. Smoking and its impact on health. The effect of alcohol on offspring

Drinking alcoholic beverages in large doses has a negative impact on health, as a rule, the pathophysiological effect of alcohol on the human body is due to its strength and numerous harmful impurities. Alcoholism develops with regular drinking of alcoholic beverages. Given mental illness severely deteriorates health, while a person’s ability to work and moral values ​​decrease.

What is alcohol

The modern market in our country is replete with a variety of alcoholic drinks, which differ in strength, manufacturer and composition. As a rule, the effect of alcohol on the human body is always negative, because when it gets inside, it quickly spreads through the blood to all organs, often causing their destruction. Ethanol (ethyl alcohol), C2H5OH, is a toxin, when taken, the liver tries to neutralize it. This volatile transparent liquid, which has a characteristic odor and pungent taste, is easily diluted with water.

This yeast fermentation product can be produced chemically. It burns well, is easily ignited, and is used as a technical brake fluid, as a solvent or fuel. Often a disease such as alcoholism is hereditary; if both parents drank in the family and they were not given proper treatment, then their child may also become an alcoholic in the future.

How alcohol affects the human body

People who love strong drinks are often interested in the question of how alcohol affects the human body? Ethanol tends to concentrate in the brain and liver and can quickly kill cells in these organs. In addition, alcohol is a mutagen. As a rule, in an adult body, mutant cells are eliminated by the immune system, but if it fails, then people with alcoholism develop cancer of the stomach, oral cavity, liver, and esophagus. Alcohol also affects

in the following way:

• Disturbs fetal development. The brain often suffers, the child’s heart is affected, and limbs are underdeveloped.
• Activates receptors for the amino acid GABA, the main inhibitory transmitter in the nervous system. As a result, cell excitability decreases.
• High ethanol content enhances the synthesis of endorphins and dopamine. The patient experiences euphoria.
• Disturbs metabolism in the body. This factor provokes the development of a psychological syndrome.
• Toxic effect. As a rule, it is determined by an increase in pulse, lack of air, and disruption of the heart.
• Systematic consumption of strong drinks provokes fatty degeneration and liver inflammation. Hepatocytes are destroyed and cirrhosis occurs.
• Provokes alcoholic encephalopathy. The disease begins with mental disorders with static or monotonous visual illusions and hallucinations.

Lethal dose

Harmful effects alcohol impact on human health is impossible only when a man or woman does not drink strong drinks at all. Everyone else, as a rule, experiences the harmful effects of drinking ethyl alcohol. Alcohol is good for the body only in small doses, but if you drink a little too much, there will be more harm than good. Each person has their own lethal dose alcohol. For a 70 kg man who does not drink, this is:

• 750 ml of vodka, drunk over five hours;
• 300 ml of pure alcohol drunk over five hours.

For women it is:

• 450 ml of vodka, drunk over five hours.

If a person constantly drinks alcohol, he can die from 3 bottles of vodka or 600 ml of pure alcohol, drunk in 5 hours or less. Blood can normally contain 0.4 ppm (‰) and this is an acceptable level. When the alcohol concentration is more than 3.8 ppm, paralysis of the respiratory tract can occur, resulting in death. Death is still possible when the concentration reaches 2.2-3.2‰.

What does alcohol affect?

People are often interested in the question of what organs are affected by alcohol? Based on research, doctors say that it has a negative effect on the entire body, but in varying degrees. The basis of alcoholic beverages is ethanol, a compound that has a toxic effect. When it enters the body as part of vodka, beer, wine or another drink, it is quickly absorbed from the intestines. Then ethanol is distributed to all internal organs. At the same time, alcohol has a devastating effect on the heart, brain, stomach and reproductive system.

On the respiratory system

It is known that breathing is life. When alcohol affects the lungs and bronchi, the functioning of the lung tissue is disrupted, which leads to a malfunction of the entire respiratory system. The mucous membranes dry out, the body's immunity weakens, and there is a high risk of tuberculosis. The first sign of its appearance is coughing, which can occur on the second day after excessive drinking. In addition, the negative effects of alcohol on the respiratory system can cause the following diseases:

• emphysema;
• tracheobronchitis;
• Chronical bronchitis.

On the stomach

Alcoholic drinks have a detrimental effect on the cells of the digestive organs, destroying them, causing burns, and resulting in tissue necrosis. In this case, the pancreas atrophies, and the cells that produce insulin die. This helps ensure that the absorption of beneficial nutrients is disrupted, the secretion of enzymes is inhibited, and food stagnation occurs in the intestines and stomach. As a rule, the negative effects of alcohol on the stomach can cause:

• diabetes;
• chronic stage pancreatitis;
• gastritis;
• stomach cancer;
• severe abdominal pain.

To the reproductive system

Strong drinks are considered especially dangerous for girls and women, because their dependence on alcohol occurs quickly. Girls suffering from alcoholism are susceptible to damage to the ovaries, which ultimately disrupts menstruation. Representatives strong half humanity also suffers from excessive drinking of strong drinks. Bad influence alcohol on the male reproductive system is expressed in a decrease in libido, the development of impotence and infertility. Drunkenness also provokes testicular atrophy, leading to the birth of an unhealthy child.

On the human cardiovascular system

Alcoholic drinks cause destruction blood cells– red blood cells. This causes deformation of the red cells, and they do not transfer the required amount of oxygen from the lungs to other tissues. In addition, sugar regulation is disrupted, which causes irreversible consequences: incorrect operation brain, diabetes, vascular problems. The effect of alcohol on the human cardiovascular system has negative consequences. The following diseases may indicate this:

• high blood pressure;
• atherosclerosis;
• arrhythmia;
• ischemic disease hearts.

How does alcohol affect the brain?

The central nervous system and brain are most often affected by ethyl alcohol. The concentration of alcohol in such organs after consumption becomes higher than in the entire body. Alcohol is toxic to brain tissue, so intoxication can often occur after drinking strong drinks. Alcohol can cause destruction, numbness and death of the cerebral cortex. Negative effects of how alcohol affects the brain:

• are violated endocrine functions;
• brain centers that regulate vascular tone are affected;
• the reaction of vegetative origin changes;
• problems arise with the psyche, memory, and mental development.

Effect on skin and muscle condition

Chronic consumption of strong drinks often provokes weakening and wasting of muscles. In addition, 50% of alcoholics develop skin diseases, because the immune system only works halfway and cannot cope with various viruses. The liver also does not cleanse the body to its full potential, so ulcers, boils, and allergic rashes and acne. Alcohol's effect on the skin and muscle condition is manifested in the following:

• dehydration occurs;
• testosterone decreases;
• estrogen increases;
• decreases muscle mass bodies;
• muscles weaken, atrophy, lose tone;
• protein synthesis decreases;
• there is a deficiency of minerals (phosphorus, calcium, zinc) and vitamins (A, B and C);
• there is an uncontrolled replenishment of calories in the body.

Positive effects of alcohol on the human body

Few people believe that the effect of ethyl alcohol on the human body can be positive. Indeed, in small dosages, ethanol is beneficial for humans. For example, red wine contains trace elements and antioxidants that the body needs. In this case, you should drink no more than three glasses a week. In addition, red wine removes waste and toxins, normalizes metabolism, and is an excellent preventative against atherosclerosis. Based on the drink, we can highlight the positive effects:

• champagne can be taken in small doses for a weak heart;
• mulled wine supports the body during bronchitis, colds, pneumonia, and flu;
• vodka can lower cholesterol;
• beer slows down the aging process and reduces the risk of heart disease.

But what dose of alcohol is good for a person? Doctors recommend that men drink no more than 20 g of pure alcohol, and women - 10 g. As a rule, this amount is contained in 100 grams of wine, 30 grams of vodka and 300 ml of beer. Taking one spoon of alcohol twice a week can act as a mobilizer for the body, i.e., a hormesis effect occurs. This method helps a person to shake himself up quickly. It is strictly forbidden to give strong drinks to a child. If alcohol accidentally enters the child’s body, urgent rinsing should be done and a doctor should be called.

Video: The effects of alcohol

Alcoholism is a pressing and important problem of modern society, our country in particular. Unstable economic situation, constant crises and problems, the availability of alcoholic beverages - all these are factors contributing to the spread of this problem. The age of people who start drinking alcohol is constantly getting younger. Thus, high school students in schools are already fully formed consumers of alcoholic beverages, especially beer. Then, with the onset of student age, the level of consumption only increases, and gradually the person is drawn into regularly taking doses of alcohol, sometimes without noticing it. The effect of alcohol on the human body is difficult to underestimate, since alcohol is one of the most common causes of disability, loss of ability to work, health and death of the population. At the same time, alcoholism most often affects able-bodied men of the most productive age. Cases of poisoning from low-quality alcohol are common.

It should be noted that alcoholism is a disease that, in addition to its medical nature, also has a social nature. People susceptible to alcoholism commit crimes, their families are more likely to break up, children lose their fathers, and sometimes even their mothers. Household drunkenness, which is an ordinary feast, contains a threat to the individual himself and to society as a whole. Approximately 25% of people who start “using” in everyday situations - holidays, family celebrations - have every chance of becoming alcoholics.

Alcohol has a detrimental effect on absolutely all organs and systems of the human body and psyche, and this has already been proven by scientists and pathologists. It also contributes to the development of chronic diseases.

Effect of alcohol on the brain

Alcohol disrupts the access of oxygen atoms to brain molecules, thereby providing it with oxygen starvation. If fasting becomes regular and prolonged, it can lead to memory loss, partial dementia, and sometimes death. All these are consequences of the death of brain cells that do not receive sufficient nutrition for a long time. The effect of alcohol on the brain is also expressed in its effect on the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for the “thinking” function of the brain. Accordingly, when a person becomes an alcoholic, he is no longer able to think fully and correctly, which makes him a moderately useful member of society.

The cardiovascular system

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels are the most common reason death of people not only in our country, but throughout the world. Alcohol affects the heart muscle, which is already under severe stress, which has a detrimental effect on health. This is why people who drink alcohol often die at a young age. Doctors involved in autopsies claim that in people who suffered from alcoholism, the heart after death is increased in size, sometimes quite significantly.

Even those people who drink alcohol moderately and in small quantities sometimes feel impaired heart rate after drinking a glass or two of alcohol. Progresses rapidly under the influence of alcohol ischemic disease, hypertension, often the heart is affected by a heart attack.

Respiratory system

Alcohol abusers often develop chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and tuberculosis. At the same time, the breathing rate itself increases significantly, since oxygen access to the lungs is difficult. Drinking alcohol is often accompanied by smoking. In this case, the load on the respiratory system increases several times. These two habits - alcohol and smoking - are very harmful in themselves, but in combination they are doubly harmful. dangerous force affecting human health.

Gastrointestinal diseases

The first to be affected is the gastric mucosa, which takes the brunt of the blow. Due to regular intake alcohol, the mucous membrane is irritated, then gastritis develops and peptic ulcer. Stomach diseases - more often than all other diseases accompany alcoholism. If you drink alcohol for a long enough time, the normal functioning of the salivary glands is destroyed. In this case, the secretion of saliva becomes less abundant and its chemical composition changes, which impairs food processing.

Liver diseases

Since the liver is responsible for cleansing the entire body of various toxins, impurities and poisons, it often simply cannot cope with the volume of toxic substances entering the body with alcohol. At the same time, health suffers greatly. Therefore, it is so common with regular and long-term drinking of alcohol, especially Low quality, people develop hepatitis, which then gradually turns into cirrhosis of the liver.

Three stages of liver damage:

• Fatty degeneration. Develops in moderate but regular drinkers. The liver increases in size and cannot cope with the increased load. If you completely stop drinking alcohol at this stage, there is every chance of a successful outcome and full recovery person.
• Alcoholic hepatitis. At this stage, sometimes quite severe pain in the right side, which indicates that the disease is progressing. The whites of the eyes turn yellow because the liver can no longer cope with removing waste and toxins from the body.
• Cirrhosis. This stage is already extreme degree liver breakdown. It usually leads to death, as the organ completely ceases to perform its functions.

Effect on the kidneys

In the vast majority of people suffering from alcoholism, the excretory function of the kidneys is impaired. This happens due to damage to the mucous membrane renal epithelium- tissue lining the surface of the organ.

Alcohol also has a very detrimental effect on the human immune system, literally turning it off for some time. This gives harmful microbes and bacteria an opportunity to infect the body. The effect of alcohol on the human body is therefore very insidious. Alcoholics often have colds and other viral infections. In this case, the processes of blood purification and the production of new red blood cells are disrupted, and allergic reactions often develop.

Effect on the reproductive system

The gonads experience very strong influence alcohol. One third of men who abuse alcohol experience a significant decrease in the ability to have normal sexual activity. This is the so-called “alcoholic impotence.” As a result of such an important dysfunction for a man, he often develops neuroses, depression and other mental health problems. Women experience early menopause, the ability to conceive is lost or reduced, and during pregnancy, if it does occur, they are more often worried about toxicosis .

Effect on skin and muscle condition

Under the influence of alcohol, muscles often atrophy, lose tone and weaken. The effects of alcohol on muscular system sounds like the consequences of malnutrition. Skin diseases- frequent accompanying alcoholism. Because the immune system is half disabled, it may not be able to cope with viral attacks. The liver also does not function at full capacity, so cleansing the body is not carried out well enough. As a result, they appear on the surface of the skin various boils, ulcers, acne, allergic rashes and other “decorations”.

Delirium tremens

Everyone knows the jokes about “delirium tremens.” And it would be funnier if it weren't so true. Hallucinations, convulsions, sudden numbness of the limbs - all this frequent consequences excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Delirium tremens is one of the most terrible forms of alcohol poisoning. It leads to death in two percent of cases, even when provided medical care. Without the timely arrival of doctors, it leads to death in 20% of cases. The disease is characterized by strong and fantastic delusional hallucinations, lapses in memory and consciousness, severe agitation, disorientation in space and time. The patient becomes feverish, loses complete control over himself, and often needs to be subdued by force.

The effect of alcohol on offspring

About what harmful influence The effects of alcohol on unborn children have been known since ancient times. Thus, in Ancient Greece, newlyweds were forbidden to drink at their wedding, this was especially common in Sparta, known for its strict criteria for the health of newborns. And in Ancient Rome young men under 30 were generally prohibited from drinking until they started families and had children.

By now medical research have collected many facts directly indicating the harmful effects of alcohol on the health of unborn children. Frequent cases stillbirth and premature babies. Also, mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy often give birth to children with pathologies, disabilities and chronic diseases from birth. In most cases of births of mentally retarded children, one or both parents abused alcohol.

In general, overall life expectancy with systematic alcohol intake is significantly reduced. Early aging body, the onset of disability occurs on average 15-20 years later than in people who do not abuse alcohol.

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Alcohol abuse is one of the pressing problems of today's society. The alcoholization of the population of different ages and social strata is largely facilitated by advertising and the widespread sale of alcohol, as well as tensions in various fields modern life. Speaking about the effect of alcohol on the human body, one cannot fail to mention that dependence on alcohol is one of the main reasons leading to premature mortality of the population. The public and scientists give alcoholism such vivid definitions as “collective suicide of the nation” and “national disaster.”

Stages and forms

Indeed, alcohol, or more precisely, the ethanol contained in it, has an extremely negative effect on all organs and systems of the human body, causing exacerbation of chronic diseases and the development of new pathologies. The most detrimental effect of alcohol is on the human brain, as well as on the nervous, digestive and cardiovascular systems.

The effect of ethanol on the human body goes through two successive stages. First, its resorption occurs, that is, absorption, then elimination - excretion. U different people the absorption time (from the moment of drinking alcohol to its maximum concentration in the blood) can vary significantly. On average it ranges from two to six hours. Ethanol is removed from the body naturally over the next twelve hours. The remainder remains in the body and undergoes oxidative processes.

Many people are proud of their increased resistance to alcoholic beverages, not realizing that this is a clear sign of incipient alcoholism. For a chronic alcoholic, there is practically no difference between a glass, a glass or a bottle. Having taken a dose of alcohol, he falls into a peculiar state of euphoria, continuing to drink, at some point the last straw comes, and the person simply passes out. Lack of control over the amount of alcohol consumed and greed for alcohol are typical signs of alcoholism.

Disturbances in the body can occur even with a single or irregular intake of alcohol. If a person drinks regularly for any reason. Speech it's already underway about banal everyday drunkenness. During this period, a person can still be somehow kept from the addiction and the development of alcohol dependence can be stopped.

At the next stage, the craving for alcohol intensifies even more, and mental dependence arises. The patient’s interests turn out to be concentrated only around alcohol, he shows egocentrism, and becomes emotionally unresponsive. At this stage, the final formation of withdrawal syndrome and maximum tolerance to alcohol also occur. Most patients already at the second stage begin to feel various pathological symptoms. Associated with impaired functioning of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, etc.

Main complications

As already mentioned, Negative influence alcohol affects the human body, affecting all its organs and systems. The main complications associated with alcoholism include:

The mechanisms of the influence of alcohol on the development of various pathologies of the body will be discussed below. It is impossible not to mention the most severe form of alcohol intoxication - alcoholic delirium or delirium tremens, in which death is possible even with timely initiation of drug therapy, and without it, the mortality rate of patients reaches 20%. It is also important to note the fact that systematic drunkenness leads to early disability and a reduction in life expectancy by an average of fifteen to twenty years.

Brain and nervous system

When alcohol abuse occurs, it is the brain that takes the brunt of the blow, since its tissues accumulate the most of its breakdown products due to the abundant blood supply. This means that ethanol has an effect on the brain and nerve cells longer effect than on other tissues of the body. Irreversible disorders of brain activity occur as a result of oxygen starvation during alcohol intoxication. Due to the death of brain cells, so-called alcoholic dementia develops. As shown by the results of autopsies of deceased people who suffered from alcohol addiction, their brains are much smaller than those of healthy people, and its surface is covered with scars and microulcers.

Significant doses of alcohol also contribute to disruption of the nervous system, acting mainly at its higher levels. Also, we should not forget that ethyl alcohol is a kind of drug that causes fast addiction and mental dependence. It is worth noting that the risk of strokes increases many times among people who drink.

The cardiovascular system

According to statistics, pathology of the heart and blood vessels is one of the most common causes of mortality in the population, and alcohol often contributes to their occurrence. Ethanol enters the heart through the bloodstream and provokes destructive processes in the heart muscle, the formation of scar tissue and other pathological changes. On x-rays increased heart volumes are often found not only in chronic alcoholics, but also in fairly young people with very little experience of drinking alcohol.

Large doses of alcohol taken can cause heart palpitations and increased blood pressure even in healthy people. With constant alcohol abuse, hypertension and coronary heart disease develop, leading to myocardial infarction. Another common complication of frequent drinking is various pathologies vessels, including atherosclerosis, thrombosis and others.

Gastrointestinal tract

The effect of alcohol on the human body from the digestive system is especially noticeable due to the fact that that the gastric mucosa is very sensitive to ethanol and is the first to be exposed to it. Gastritis, stomach ulcers, oncological processes, varicose veins veins of the esophagus - this is far from full list pathologies to which people with alcohol addiction. Also, as alcoholism develops, the functioning of the salivary glands is disrupted.

As soon as a certain dose of alcohol enters the stomach, active production begins gastric juice. But it is worth understanding that alcohol abuse leads to gradual atrophy of the glands responsible for the production of gastric juice, necessary for a person to digest food. Thus, food that enters the stomach of a chronic alcoholic begins not to be digested, but to rot, which leads to the development of rather unpleasant pathologies.

The pancreas is also affected by ethanol. Strong alcohol has a destructive effect on the walls of this organ, which produces special enzymes to ensure an adequate digestion process. Due to destructive processes under the influence of alcohol, the pancreas cannot cope with the functions assigned to it, as a result of which the body does not receive enough nutrients. Dysfunction of the pancreas is dangerous due to a pathology such as diabetes, because it is this organ that is responsible for the synthesis of insulin. Also, with the abuse of alcoholic beverages, the development of irreversible pathological processes such as pancreatitis and pancreatic necrosis is possible.

Liver

A very special place among the organs of the digestive system belongs to the liver, which can be called a real “chemical laboratory” of the human body. This organ is necessary for getting rid of toxins, as well as regulating all types of metabolic processes. Alcohol has an extremely negative effect on the liver, which oxidizes up to 90% of ethanol, leading to cirrhosis.

Dying liver cells begin to be replaced by connective, scar, or fatty tissue. Alcoholics experience a decrease in liver volume and a change in its structure. It is possible that bleeding may occur due to ruptured blood vessels due to increased pressure. According to medical statistics, about 80% of patients die within one and a half years after the first episode of bleeding.

Genitourinary system

The negative effect of ethanol also affects the endocrine glands, and especially the gonads. Sexual dysfunction occurs in approximately one third of people suffering from alcoholism. In males, due to impotence that develops against the background of alcoholism, functional disorders of the central nervous system may also occur. Women may experience premature menopause, decreased reproductive function, endocrine system disorders.

On the part of the organs related to the urinary system, the negative effect of alcohol especially affects the functioning of the kidneys, whose excretory function is seriously impaired. Under the influence of ethanol, the renal epithelium is destroyed, and malfunctions of the entire hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system occur.

Psyche and consciousness

Drastic changes mental processes and psycho-emotional state are observed in the majority of alcoholics. At first, patients experience frequent mood swings, irritability, then the function of perception and thinking gradually deteriorates, which ultimately can lead to complete loss of ability to work. Sleep disorders constant feeling Fatigue is also a common problem for people with alcohol addiction. How more people abuses alcohol, the more negative impact alcohol has on his psyche. The individual’s behavior gradually changes, and any moral boundaries are erased. Family, work and other social components of life become much less important than taking the next dose of alcohol.

In addition, alcohol can become immediate cause development of serious mental illnesses, in particular. alcoholic delirium or delirium tremens, accompanied by impaired consciousness in the form of hallucinations. IN similar condition the patient may pose a danger to himself and other people.

Another serious mental illness caused by alcohol is called alcoholic polyneuritis. The disease is characterized by inflammation of the endings of peripheral nerves. In this case, the patient experiences symptoms such as tingling in the limbs, itching, and sensory disturbances. The pathology is dangerous because it can lead to complete atrophy muscles and loss of mobility. As a complication of alcoholic polyneuritis, Korsakoff's disease often occurs, which is characterized mainly by memory impairment and loss of spatial and temporal orientation.

Mental dependence on alcohol is already a disease, which is indicated by the following: general signs, characteristic of the vast majority of alcoholics:

• the desire to drink at any, even minor stressful situations, as well as other minor reasons;
• inability to control the amount of drinking;
• loss of memory of events or their fragments in a state of intoxication;
• the social circle of alcoholics consists of the same drinkers, connections with non-drinking friends and acquaintances are gradually lost;
• Alcohol abuse is explained by failures in life.

Reactive depression, neuroses and other functional disorders of the central nervous system occur in alcoholics much more often than in persons without alcohol dependence. Alcohol abuse against the background of a latent form of schizophrenia can lead to catastrophic consequences. Gradually, the personality completely degrades, she develops manic states, delusional disorders and irreversible decline in intelligence.

Scientists have proven that ethanol molecules penetrate human germ cells and cause irreversible changes in the genetic code. This explains why people with alcohol addiction often have offspring with poor health and various congenital pathologies.
Of course, in modern medical practice there are cases when alcoholics give birth to a child without any pathologies or deviations in physical and mental development, but scientists have proven that almost 95% of children with a family history themselves have a tendency to alcoholism, which manifests itself in adolescence and adulthood.

But not only biological reasons determine the harmful effects of alcoholism on offspring, but also social factors. Parents with alcohol addiction do not have the opportunity to raise their children properly, which negatively affects their psycho-emotional state. Such children are forced to live in a state constant stress And psychological pressure. It is especially difficult for those children in whose families the mother suffers from alcoholism.

Children of alcoholics, due to extremely unfavorable upbringing conditions and relationships with parents, experience significant difficulties in learning due to various mental disorders and elementary pedagogical oversight, they have difficulty developing communicative and cognitive skills in childhood. IN adolescence Such children are often characterized by conflict behavior, irritability, and aggression. All this can become favorable environment for the development of teenage alcoholism or drug addiction.

The harmful effects of smoking on the human body have long been proven! And yet, there are inquisitive minds who are trying to find justification for this bad habit, citing absolutely incredible arguments in favor of smoking. I would like to appeal to adherents of the addiction: comrades, the effect of smoking on the human body is destructive! Please note that cigarette smoke causes enormous harm not only to the smoker’s lungs, but also to the health of others. Therefore, if you want to light a cigarette somewhere in a public place, you should ask the people nearby at that moment if they want to become passive smokers and share the share of negative influence with the carrier of the habit. This is all a joke, of course. But it’s worth taking a closer look at the harm each smoked cigarette causes to the body.

The effect of smoking on the human body

Speaking about the effect of smoking on the human body, I would like to immediately focus on the fact that any chemical substances that enter our body from the outside have some effect on human systems organs. Most often this influence is negative. And if right away, this minute, you didn’t see or feel anything like that, this does not mean at all that everything passed without a trace. Smoking is a serious addiction! When smoking a cigarette, a person inhales a whole table of chemicals:

• nicotine;
• butane (in lighter fluid);
• acetic acid;
• methanol;
• hexamine;
• carbon monoxide;
• cadmium;
• dye pairs (dyed paper);
• resin.

If you want to see what the oral mucosa, bronchi, trachea and lungs look like after each cigarette you smoke, gut the cigarette butt filter. What you see inside is only 1% of what a smoker accumulates inside his body over the years. After all, this terrible coating of resins does not disappear anywhere. It only eats deeper into the tissue, enters the blood, and affects cellular level. And there are no safe cigarettes - weak, light, ultra-thin. All these are marketing ploys that force weak-willed “hostages” of the habit to find another loophole for themselves so as not to quit smoking.

The effect of smoking on a person's appearance

To assess the harm of an addiction, let's start small - with a person's appearance. Modern people assign a huge role to external data. Girls, boys, women, men, regardless of age, social status and worldview, want to look dignified and attractive. However, being beautiful means not only being well-groomed, but also healthy! No beauty salon can help fix what a smoker has been doing to himself for years. In short, the results of smoking are:

• loose skin of an unnatural shade;
• yellow plaque on teeth and fingertips;
• brittle dull hair;
• lip deformation caused by constantly holding a cigarette;
• appropriate facial expressions.

Move closer to the smoker. Already at a distance of a meter you can smell an incredibly repulsive smell. Tobacco smoke eats into the skin and hair. A persistent, never-diminishing amber is formed in the smoker's mouth. It is unpleasant to talk to such a person. You hardly want to touch or kiss him. But young girls and boys often become heavy smokers, for whom building sensual relationships and starting a family is still in the future.

The impact of smoking on a person is so widespread that it can result not only in problems with appearance, but also with health.

Smoking and its impact on health

Let's look at the risks smoking poses to human health.

Respiratory system

Every day inhaling smoke, which contains tars, poisons, acids and other additives, a person puts the respiratory system at risk. All harmful substances settle in the lungs, first leaving a trace in the bronchi, throat, and trachea. The most minimal evil can be called allergic cough- smoker's catarrh. This deep cough with a viscous discharge that torments a person from morning until late at night. As a rule, a smoker's cough becomes chronic. Also, as a result of such an addiction, a person develops shortness of breath. The prospects for facing problems such as emphysema and cancer are very high.

Heart, blood vessels

When you smoke your first cigarette in the morning on an empty stomach, you may feel slightly dizzy. This is a symptom of vasospasm, which is caused by the entry of certain substances into the lungs. Such “training” for the heart and blood vessels is not in vain. A smoker risks getting all the “delights” cardiovascular diseases. This is a heart attack, a stroke. The development of smoker's gangrene is directly related to the thinning of the walls of blood vessels and spasmodic processes in this area.

Gastrointestinal tract

Each puff of cigarette smoke affects the mucous membranes of the digestive system. Substances settle in this area as well. If a person has peptic ulcers, gastritis, he risks aggravating these ailments by smoking and developing complications in the form of oncological degeneration of pathological cells in this area.

The liver, constantly expelling poisons through itself, also suffers. The risk of developing cirrhosis in a smoker is many times higher than in a person who does not suffer from the bad habit.

Teeth

The characteristic plaque on enamel is the lesser evil that fans of inhaling cigarette smoke face. Poisons eat into tooth enamel and adjacent tissues. Caries, periodontitis, periodontal disease are diseases that a smoker will almost certainly encounter, even without neglecting oral care.

Reproductive system

Having accumulated poisons in the body over the years, how can one expect healthy pregnancy and birth of offspring? What incredible strength must the body have in order to withstand the pressure of regular “poisoning” with poisons and resins and be able to conceive, bear, and give birth to a child without any problems? It is also worth keeping in mind that chemicals have the ability to influence DNA and RNA. Severe congenital pathologies, which are modern world have ceased to be a rarity, they can be the result of an ordinary everyday habit - smoking a cigarette or two. Moreover, a negative impact on the health of future offspring is exerted by: female smoking, and the presence of a habit in a man.

Oncology

Cancer is a disease that has become a real scourge of our time. Very difficult to treat. The development of oncological diseases has not yet been fully identified. Doctors say smoking is one of the supposed factors that increase the risk of developing cancer. Cancer of the lungs, trachea, lip, larynx, breast, stomach and other organs more often develops in people who have been smoking tobacco products for years. It’s also a shame that smokers indirectly expose similar risks own children, family members and others. After all, passive smoking carries the same risks of getting oncological problems, like the smoker himself.

Nervous system

A person suffering from an addiction is more susceptible to stress. Lethargy, apathy, lack of strength - such conditions can be noticed by a smoker in the morning. After smoking a cigarette, a person may feel a sudden feeling of anxiety, a panic attack, or a sharp depression in mood. All this is no coincidence. Smoking is an addiction caused by the influence of substances on the brain centers of the body. When absorbing toxic smoke, brain cells and the nerve column are affected. The consequences of such an impact can be very, very sad.

Hematopoietic system

Ask hematologists why they are sounding the alarm about this addiction? The thing is that all chemicals entering our body affect the composition of the blood. Internal processes unknown to us depend on each product consumed, substance inhaled, and composition “passed” through the body. Risks of making money systemic diseases smokers have higher blood levels than other people.

The immune system

Human immunity is an unsolved mystery. Stressful effects on the body carry risks of developing unexplained autoimmune diseases (IDDM - diabetes mellitus, autoimmune arthritis, oncology, etc.). Every time a person smokes a cigarette, he cannot be sure that it will not undermine his immunity and give rise to the development of serious illnesses, which sometimes even renowned world-class doctors cannot cope with.

Having counted all possible risk factors, we cannot say with exact certainty that this is a complete list of possible prospects associated with smoking. Scientists are constantly making new discoveries in this direction and claim that the harm of smoking to the human body is even greater than we thought.

If you're upset, a little nervous, or want to take a cigarette to seem grown up, fashionable, cool, think about the harm this action can cause. After all, many problems and terrible diseases can be avoided by giving up bad habits.

The harm of smoking to the environment

In conclusion, I would like to draw attention to the harm that cigarettes directly or indirectly cause to the environment. It turns out that smoking harms not only people. A bad habit can cause damage on a more global scale.

1. Every year, about 5 million hectares of forest are cut down for the production of tobacco products.
2. Up to hundreds of thousands of millions of kilograms of cigarette butts are thrown into environment.
3. About 5-7% of forest fires are caused by discarded cigarette butts. Domestic fires on this basis occur 10% more often.
4. Discarded cigarette butts are toxic waste. The impact of this category of waste on the environment does not require additional comment.
5. Cigarette butts were often found in the stomachs of birds, animals, and turtles. Animals encounter such garbage in their environment and are not always able to resist the effect of environmental pollution on their body.
6. A huge amount of money is spent on recycling and cleaning up cigarette butts.
7. Cigarette smoke pollutes the atmosphere. An increase in the number of active smokers directly affects the increase in air pollution with toxic substances.
8. Cigarette smog negatively affects flora. Some plant varieties degenerate or are modified as a result of the influence of substances contained in cigarette smoke and cigarette butts.

Is it possible to find an excuse bad habit? Is there a chance to replace harmful cigarettes with something that brings the same effect, but is less harmful to the human body? It is unlikely! There is no real benefit to smoking. Whatever you try to justify or replace smoking (vaping, smoking aromatic tobacco through a hookah), the essence remains the same.

Over the past 50 years, many studies have been conducted studying the effect of tobacco smoke on the human body and, above all, on the protective mechanisms of the respiratory system.

The effect of tobacco smoke on the human body

Toxins included in the product, when inhaled, enter the bronchopulmonary system, where they are neutralized or eliminated. To do this, the human body has 4 levels of protection, located at different levels respiratory tract (see picture).

Depending on the level, the functional significance of each of these mechanisms is different, but there is a close relationship between all protection systems.

The main protective role of the respiratory organs at the level of the third and fourth lines of defense in the smallest bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli is played by alveolar macrophages. The possibility of obtaining alveolar macrophages using bronchoalveolar lavage in humans made it possible to study their number, morphology and functional characteristics in smokers and non-smokers, healthy and sick. In addition, experiments were performed on animals after they inhaled tobacco smoke for various periods of time. It is now known that there are large differences in both the number of alveolar macrophages and their morphological and functional characteristics. In the lungs of smokers, an increase in the number of alveolar macrophages was noted by 4-5 times compared to non-smokers, which indicates the active participation of these cells in protection against the toxic effects of tobacco smoke. The alveolar macrophage is a multifunctional cell involved in the clearance of deep sections lungs, bronchioles and in the immune response, processing and transmitting antigenic information. Based on the richness of its enzymatic equipment, this cell can be classified as a secretory cell. Surfactant facilitates the movement of macrophages.

With an increase in alveolar macrophages in the lungs, structural changes occur in the former, in particular, multinucleated large “supermacrophages” are formed. However, size and multinucleation do not give supermacrophages increased functional data. Alveolar macrophages in smokers have processes that are densely and evenly distributed on the surface. Macrophages of smokers are brown in color, contain pigment inclusions, and are characterized by increased glucose utilization and increased oxygen uptake. Water-soluble fractions of tobacco smoke inhibit protein synthesis in rabbit alveolar macrophages. Electron microscopy of mouse macrophages treated with water-soluble tobacco aerosol condensate revealed significant structural changes. Tobacco smoke inhibits alveolar macrophage movement, adhesion, phagocytosis, and pinocytosis. It has been shown that the aerosol, along with damaging the capture processes, also affects the digestion of bacteria by alveolar macrophages. In mice that were first inhaled with a large dose of tobacco smoke and then inhaled with bacteria, the bactericidal activity of the lungs was worse than in the control group.

The toxic effect of tobacco smoke on macrophages is largely explained by acrolein, a powerful oxidizing agent. Along with this, other toxic products contained in tobacco also have a negative effect. Using an electron microscope in the phagolysosomes of alveolar macrophages smokers characteristic inclusions were found. Probably, these inclusions are particles of kaolin dust inhaled with an aerosol and phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages, which have a cytotoxic effect on alveolar macrophages, like other silicates. During phagocytosis of kaolin particles, the cells usually release lysosomal and cytoplasmic enzymes, which probably reflects the process of increasing membrane permeability. The above data on the damaging effect of enzymes secreted by macrophages and their stimulation of fibrogenesis may explain one of the mechanisms for the formation of pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema in long-term smokers. An 18-fold increase in protease activity was found in alveolar macrophages from smokers compared to alveolar macrophages from non-smokers.

Using a phase contrast microscope, the membranes of alveolar macrophages from smokers were examined. In contrast to the wavy surface of macrophages of non-smokers, which contains numerous microvilli that facilitate the first stages of phagocytosis, the surface of macrophages of smokers is smooth, devoid of microvilli in large areas, which complicates the first stages of phagocytosis.

Effect on the immune system

Regarding changes immune system Little is known in smokers. In experiments on mice that inhaled cigarette combustion products, a decrease in humoral and cellular immunity under the influence of tobacco smoke components. Based on this, it was suggested that the effect of tobacco aerosol is suppressive of the immunocompetent system. This assumption was confirmed by research functional state lymphocytes from the bronchi smoking people. It turned out that lymphocytes obtained from lavage of the respiratory tract of smokers for many years responded significantly worse to stimulation with various mitogens than lymphocytes from non-smokers. According to some authors, 20% of smokers, and according to others, all smokers in washing waters the content of immunoglobulin G is increased, which indicates the activation of local immunological mechanisms in the lungs, despite the inhibition of the functional properties of lymphocytes in smokers.

Essential protective functions the epithelial lining of the bronchi and alveoli protects against the effects of toxic substances inhaled during smoking. Long-term smoking causes increased proliferation of the epithelium of the mucous membrane of these structures. Using a peroxidase label, they proved the presence of defects in the intercellular junctions of the epithelium of small and minute bronchi in smokers, which creates favorable conditions for penetration into the depths of the mucous membrane of infectious agents, carcinogenic and toxic substances. In addition, the presence of intercellular defects in the mucous membrane changes the conditions for the movement of leukocytes and other cellular elements through the mucous membrane, which also negatively affects the protection of the bronchi and lungs from infection and various inhaled substances.

A number of studies have shown that in patients with bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis with altered and excessive bronchial secretions, characteristic of long-term smokers, bronchial epithelial cells begin to absorb the secretions contained in the lumen, which disrupts their function, impairs mucociliary clearance and ultimately leads to cell death and disruption of the integrity of the epithelial cover of the bronchial mucosa.

Thus, the limited information obtained to date on the effect of smoking on the bronchial epithelium clearly indicates significant damage to the epithelial cover in smokers and a decrease in the resistance of the respiratory tract to the effects of adverse factors.

Surfactant protects the alveoli and, probably, bronchioles from collapse and performs other protective functions in the lungs. To study the effect of smoking on surfactant, smokers were divided into two groups, in which one of the following was examined in the bronchial lavage waters. components surfactant - lecithin. Representatives of the first group were not limited in smoking before receiving rinsing water, and persons of the second group were prohibited from smoking 12 hours before the study. It turned out that stopping smoking over such a period of time led to the appearance of more lecithin in washing waters. These data suggested that smoking negatively affects the state of surfactant, either destroying it or inhibiting its production. In experiments on rats exposed to cigarettes, a decrease in the content of surfactant in the lungs under the influence of tobacco smoke on the body was confirmed. The same data were obtained when determining surfactant in the bronchial lavage fluid of smokers and non-smokers: the content of surfactant in the lavage fluid of smokers was significantly lower than that of non-smokers.

An electron microscopic examination of surfactant producers - type II pneumocytes - revealed cholesterol in their cytoplasm. It is unclear what the detection of cholesterol in the cytoplasm of type II pneumocytes indicates. Perhaps the appearance of cholesterol in the cytoplasm of surfactant producers indicates degenerative changes these cells due to smoking. In addition, cholesterol in the cytoplasm of type II pneumocytes may be by-product increased synthesis pulmonary surfactant.

The results of the studies mentioned above convincingly indicate a pronounced negative effect of tobacco smoke on surfactant, which in turn contributes to the obstruction of the smallest bronchi, collapse of the alveoli and the occurrence of atelectasis, reduces antimicrobial protection, causes increased infection, the occurrence of pneumonia, and has other negative consequences for the bronchopulmonary system .

The pronounced proteolytic effect of the contents of the bronchi on inhaled dead and living protein particles is one of the significant protective mechanisms of the bronchi and lungs. However, it is known that the development of emphysema is largely associated with the proteolytic effect on lung tissue. This is confirmed by the connection of emphysema with genetic deficiency of the main antiproteolytic enzyme - a 1 -antitrypsin. It has been proven that a proteolytic enzyme secreted by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes, elastase, is involved in the formation of emphysema. The results of the effect of tobacco smoke condensate on the release of elastase from human neutrophils in vitro were studied. It has been established that elastase is also released from neutrophils when they are injected in a mixture with condensate directly into the lungs of rats.

Studies have confirmed that exposure of neutrophils to tobacco smoke can lead to serious damage connective tissue lungs. In addition, it has been shown that tobacco combustion products simultaneously inhibit the activity of the most important pulmonary antiproteases.

Both sides of the action of tobacco smoke (release of elastase from neutrophils with a decrease in the activity of pulmonary antiproteases) have a negative synergistic effect and contribute to the development of pulmonary emphysema. To this we must add the above-mentioned data on the active secretion of proteolytic enzymes by alveolar macrophages under the influence of tobacco aerosol.

Thus, the effect of smoking on increasing the proteolytic activity of the bronchi, leading to irreversible resorption of the connective tissue framework of the lungs and the formation of emphysema, is beyond doubt.

Smoking tobacco leads to disruption of the functioning of all studied mechanisms and pathways for the elimination of inhaled drugs. foreign substances. The main route of excretion through the bronchial tree to the outside, followed by coughing, is disrupted in smokers. Removal from the alveoli and bronchioles is difficult, and therefore the surfactant system is disrupted, which leads to their collapse. The bronchioles are clogged with inflammatory exudate, and the function of the “cleaners” - alveolar macrophages - is reduced. In addition, in smokers with pulmonary emphysema, which arose under the influence of tobacco smoke, during exhalation, a so-called air trap (the so-called “autoPEEP”) occurs - collapse of the bronchioles and small bronchi during exhalation, leading to premature cessation of exhalation, an increase in residual air and additional stretching of the lungs.

Difficulty in the passage of small, medium and large bronchi in smokers occurs due to blockage and bronchospasm. There are many reasons for blockage in smokers. One of them is hypersecretion of mucus by mucous glands in response to irritation from tobacco smoke. In addition, this is an inflammatory swelling of the mucous membrane, which is especially pronounced in smokers, since the products of tobacco combustion inhibit antimicrobial protection. Along with the increased production of bronchial contents, smokers have a sharply reduced function of systems designed to remove microbes and inhaled particles from bronchial secretions. This primarily applies to the mucociliary clearance system. The function of cilia in smokers is sharply reduced, and the secretion of the bronchial glands is of increased viscosity. All this disrupts the functions of the mucociliary escalator, which should, like on a conveyor belt, carry inhaled particles out. Cleaning of the respiratory tract of smokers is also impaired with the help of phagocytes (alveolar macrophages and neutrophils), the functions of which are reduced in smokers.

Bronchospasm in smokers occurs due to irritation of irritant receptors. Irritation of the vagus nerve receptors is promoted by a chronic inflammatory process in the bronchial mucosa in smokers, followed by atrophy of the mucous membrane and exposure of the receptors.

In addition to obstructing the patency of the bronchi, the particles contained in the tobacco aerosol impede the outflow of lymph from bronchial tree due to the deposition of particles from tobacco smoke in the lymph nodes located near the lungs. They interfere with lymphatic drainage, which plays a major role in cleansing the respiratory tract of various, including carcinogenic, substances inhaled with tobacco smoke.

The removal of substances inhaled with tobacco smoke through the pulmonary capillaries is also impaired. It has been shown that tobacco aerosol particles can quickly pass into the pulmonary capillary bed, attach to platelets and lead to intravascular coagulation and obstruction of blood circulation through the pulmonary vessels.

All of the above violations of the mechanisms that ensure complete and timely elimination of inhaled substances in non-smokers lead to long-term retention of tobacco smoke particles in the respiratory tract. An experiment on rats showed that a significant number of particles were found in the lungs even after 6 months. According to morphological data obtained from smokers who succeeded, the period for recovery of a lung condition close to normal ranges from 4 to 13 years.

Long-term retention in the lungs and deep distribution of tobacco aerosol are facilitated by breathing patterns during smoking: the smoker does deep breath and holds his breath while inhaling - “inhales” tobacco smoke. With such breathing, the particles contained in the tobacco aerosol penetrate all the way to the alveoli and are retained in the most vulnerable part of the respiratory tract - in the bronchioles and smallest bronchi.

It is necessary to dwell on the morphological changes in the bronchi and lungs that develop in smokers. Among the specific morphological changes in smokers the following are noted:

• high incidence of goblet cell metaplasia,
• hypertrophy of smooth muscle tissue,
• infiltration of walls with mononuclear cells,
• development of respiratory bronchiolitis,
• narrowing of the lumen of bronchioles.

These changes are correlated with the degree of development of centrilobular emphysema in the lungs of smokers. In addition, smokers showed significant thickening of the smooth muscle membrane and intima of the pulmonary vessels, a predominance pulmonary arteries muscular type diameter less than 200 microns. These changes are correlated with the severity of obstructive disorders of bronchioles with a diameter of 2 mm or less and the occurrence of centrilobular emphysema in smokers.

Thus, a high degree of toxic effect of tobacco smoke on the human body has been established. The toxic effect on the respiratory system is facilitated by the characteristics of its inhalation during smoking: deep breathing with retention of inhaled smoke while inhaling. In smokers, all protective mechanisms of the bronchopulmonary system are disrupted at all levels of the respiratory tract, which leads to obstruction of the bronchi, the occurrence of:

• chronic bronchitis,
• emphysema,
• lung cancer,
• pulmonary failure.

Scientists have studied allergies to tobacco smoke. At the same time, the presence of specific immune shifts in tobacco growers was established, which confirms the possibility of sensitization of the body by tobacco dust. Sensitizing properties along with organic compounds, contained in tobacco, have microbial, mycotic and pesticide dust components. When exposed tobacco smoke allergies occur in humans, characterized by delayed and delayed hypersensitivity immediate types. The above data are confirmed by the detection of precipitating antibodies to tobacco antigens in the blood of smokers much more often and in much higher titers than in non-smokers. It is likely that the sensitization of smokers to tobacco antigens is accompanied by the production of antibodies such as reagins, which belong to class E immunoglobulins, since more high level serum immunoglobulin E levels than in non-smokers.