Body Damage
Lungs
Your lungs are filled with delicate air sacs, tiny, soft structures surrounded by very small blood vessels. In these air sacs, carbon dioxide gases from the body are exchanged for fresh air from the outside. This is a clean lung. The black specks are from having breathed in smoggy air.
Lung with emphysema
Emphysema damages the delicate air sacs in your lungs. They become large and hard, and lose their ability to exchange air. With damaged air sacs, you cannot get enough air to breathe, and always feel that you cannot catch your breath. Emphysema is a very serious disease. It take years to develop, but its damage cannot be undone. The disease can be caused by any substance in the lungs which causes irritation and swelling. Cigarette smoke is the most common cause of this disease.
Emphysema Close-up
This is a close-up view of what air sacs damaged by emphysema look like.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in both men and women. Smoking is the most common cause of this kind of cancer. Unfortunately, lung cancer is hard to cure. In most cases, lung cancer is not found until it has spread to other parts of the body, like the brain, liver or bones. By quitting smoking, you can reduce your chance of getting this kind of cancer.
Normal healthy heart
It has a complex grouping of muscles that work together to pump blood throughout your body.
Damaged heart
A heart attack is when the heart is damaged by a sudden lack of blood flow to the heart muscle. This happens because the arteries to the heart muscle become narrowed or blocked. Nicotine in cigarette smoke causes blood vessels to become narrow, reducing the oxygen supply to the heart muscle. This may be why smokers are more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers.
Cancerous Heart
Although heart cancer is rare, it is not uncommon for lung cancer to spread to other vital organs of the body as in this case.
Liver with cancer
The liver filters blood. Cancer in the lungs can spread to the liver. The cancer is seen here as white spots. This cancer is very painful.
Arteriosclerosis or hardening of the Arteries
Hardened Artery
This is the rough inside surface of a diseased artery. In comparison to the healthy artery in the image above, it is clear that blood flow through a thickened vessel would be seriously impeded
Arteriosclerosis
This is the inside of an artery partly blocked by cholesterol, a fatty material. Smoking worsens this problem leading to serious circulatory problems.
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) can have serious consequences. PVD is a common circulation problem in which the arteries that carry blood to the legs or arms become narrowed or clogged. Many people also refere to the condition as “hardening of the arteries”. Smokers are at increased risk of developing PVD.
Peripheral Vascular Disease continued
PVD continued. As PVD develops, circulation to the extremities of the body, such as the arms and legs, is gradually choked off by blocked arteries leading to gangrene. This leaves doctors with little option other than amputation to avoid blood poisoning.