Health effects of smoking tobacco

Health effects of smoking tobacco are harms caused by inhaling smoke from burning tobacco, including nicotine dependence, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and premature death.

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Tobacco smoke: An aerosol of gases and particles produced by burning tobacco, containing nicotine, carbon monoxide, and many toxic chemicals. Its mixture of combustion products delivers the substances that drive smoking-related disease.
Lung cancer: A malignant tumor arising in lung tissue, most commonly classified as small-cell or non-small-cell lung cancer. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of lung cancer.
Premature mortality: Death occurring earlier than expected for a population, often measured against a defined age or life-expectancy benchmark. Smoking causes fatal diseases and substantially shortens life expectancy.
Electronic cigarette: A battery-powered device that heats liquid into an inhalable aerosol without burning tobacco. It avoids tobacco combustion but is not harmless and has a different evidence base for health risks.
Nicotine dependence: A chronic pattern of compulsive nicotine use, marked by cravings, withdrawal, and difficulty stopping. Nicotine reinforces smoking and makes continued exposure difficult to avoid.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A group of progressive lung diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, that restrict airflow. Tobacco smoke is the main cause of COPD in many populations.
Secondhand smoke: Smoke inhaled involuntarily from a burning tobacco product and from smoke exhaled by a smoker. It extends smoking-related harm to people nearby, including children and nonsmokers.
Smokeless tobacco: Tobacco products consumed without burning, including chewing tobacco and moist snuff. It causes serious harms but lacks the inhaled combustion mixture central to smoking-related lung disease.
Oxidative stress: A biological imbalance in which reactive molecules damage cells faster than antioxidant defenses can control them. Smoke-generated reactive chemicals contribute to inflammation and tissue injury.
Coronary artery disease: Narrowing or blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, usually from atherosclerosis. Smoking accelerates coronary atherosclerosis and raises the risk of heart attack.