The Silent Killer and Asthma

Introduction

Smoking has long been recognized as a silent killer. Tobacco smoke contains numerous hazardous compounds that cause a variety of respiratory disorders such as asthma, COPD, and respiratory infections, among others. However, asthma is not just caused by cigarette smoke; other elements such as pollens, dust, secondhand smoking and pet hair also play a role.

When it comes to smoking and asthma, there is a clear association. It is, in fact, one of the main reasons why people get asthma and, more importantly, asthma flare-ups. Exposure to other allergic agents other than smoke can also cause Asthma, which is why there is a need for novel treatment modalities that could help both adults and children alike. Asthma Clinical Trials in US exploring these therapies may be able to help countless people.

In this blog, we will discuss what asthma actually is and how smoking affects asthma. We will also look at the harmful toxins we inhale from our surroundings and how they affect infants, children and adults.

One major point we will touch upon is how the habit of smoking during the pregnancy of an asthmatic female can cause negative side effects to the overall pregnancy outcome and infant. Through this article, we hope to build a comprehensive understanding of how smoking affects asthma, and ways we can prevent the condition from worsening.

About Asthma – How Does Smoking Affect Asthma? 

Asthma is a lung disease that occurs when the lungs are damaged. It develops when our airway tracts constrict and inflame, causing mucus to be produced. Individuals with asthma have sensitive airways that react quickly to irritants like cigarettes and smoke.

Cilia, which are microscopic hair-like structures that remove dust particles, pollen, and other toxic irritants from our lungs, surround the lungs. Smoking harms the cilia, altering their cleaning function and allowing mucus and dust to accumulate in the lungs. This encourages the production of more mucus over time, raising the risk of a lung infection. Because the cilia in the lungs have been injured, the airways are extremely sensitive and can easily react to any irritant, resulting in an asthma attack. The harm to our lungs is mostly caused by smoking.

As the lung illness progresses, more irritants and mucus start building up in the airways, causing airway constriction and shortness of breath.

What Exactly Are You Inhaling?

Inhaling polluted air from the surrounding area is the main cause of asthma. Dust particles, pollen, chemicals from air pollution, and smoke exhaled from a smoker’s mouth are all major contributors to asthma.

Tobacco smoke inhalation is one of the most common causes of asthma attacks. Asthma, on the other hand, can be triggered by a variety of reasons. The inhalation of cold, dry air, chemical fumes, dust, secondhand smoking and gasses from the job can potentially trigger an asthma attack. Pollen, pet hair, molds, and spores, on the other hand, cause allergic asthma.

Habits of Smoking in Pregnant Females with Asthma

Many risk factors are linked to asthma during pregnancy. Doctors generally advise against smoking during pregnancy since it can cause a variety of birth defects in infants.

Females who smoke or are exposed to a high-smoke-particle environment are more likely to harm their unborn child’s lungs. Allergic asthma is much more likely to occur in children like these as they get older.

Smoking by an asthmatic woman during pregnancy can produce an asthma flare-up, resulting in low oxygen levels in the blood and a reduction in oxygen flow to the baby. Preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and poor infant growth are all possible outcomes of asthma flare-ups in which the baby does not receive a sufficient supply of oxygen. During labor and birth, one out of every few women experience asthma flare-ups. Keeping the aforementioned variables in mind, it is essential for pregnant women to stop smoking and avoid situations where there is a lot of smoke.

Second-hand Smoking

Passive smoking is another term for secondhand smoking. Because the smoke released from the tip of the cigarette is far more damaging than the smoke inhaled by the smoker, which proves that inhaling toxic air from your surroundings can be more dangerous than smoking yourself.

Children and adults who are exposed to cigarette smoke are more likely to develop asthma and other respiratory disorders. Secondhand smoking can irritate the airways and expose you to a variety of respiratory diseases.

Infants exposed to smoke while being in the womb have a greater chance of developing weak lungs and wheezing sounds later in life, which can contribute to asthma. The smoke from the surrounding environment is passed through the umbilical cord to the newborn. Frequently, these infants are underweight or die during birth.

Children are particularly susceptible to polluted air. Their lungs are affected by whatever they breathe. One in every five children whose families smoke or the children who are exposed to filthy air through other means seems to have a high risk of acquiring asthma as a child. This increases mucus production and the risk of respiratory sinus infections in children, making asthma control extremely difficult.

Ways to Reduce Exposure to Smoke

The risk of asthma attacks can be reduced by avoiding tobacco smoke and other asthma triggers. Quitting smoking is the best method to avoid smoking. Although quitting smoking is a difficult task that requires you to overcome your habits and addiction, there are numerous doctors and clinical research organizations in the US that can assist people with asthma, and smokers. Other options include avoiding public venues that allow smoking and suggesting that guests refrain from smoking in certain areas of the house. Avoiding the impulse to smoke in the car is extremely significant since it reduces the risk of children becoming passive smokers and keeps harmful air from spreading in the surrounding area while driving.

In cases where it’s not easy to be in a smoke free environment due to work purposes, it is important to seek your doctor’s help and manage your asthma on a daily basis through medications prescribed by the doctor.

Smoking and Asthma – Match Made in Hell 

Smoking and asthma just never go well together. They’re a match made in hell.

You don’t have to be a smoker for the smoking to cause your lungs serious harm. Smoking be it around adults or children can cause lung function to decline by weakening your lungs. And smoking directly or indirectly (secondhand smoking) can make your or the young ones’ asthma harder to manage. It can also reduce the efficiency of the medications and stop the asthma medication from working properly for good.

People with allergic asthma have an even stronger reason to avoid smoking than people without asthma. When you have asthma, your lungs are unusually delicate, and more prone to damage when exposed to the harmful effects of cigarette smoke. In the short-run smoking and asthma can make children and adults more prone to suffering from asthma attacks or flare-ups. However, in the long-run, it can make one more likely to develop smoking-related ailments like emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Conclusion

The link between smoking and asthma has several negative consequences. Smoking cessation is essential for asthma patients who want to avoid allergic asthma flare-ups. Smoking has a variety of adverse health consequences for both smokers and those that are exposed to it through secondhand smoking. There are, however, a variety of techniques to minimize your exposure to smoke and lead a healthy lifestyle for yourself and future generations.