Cigarette smoking entails the risk of health consequences ranging from inflammation or emphysema to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. This addiction causes an annual harvest of 60 Polish citizens who die as a result of changes in their organs. The impact of nicotine is reflected in difficulties with getting pregnant, fetal development, deterioration of teeth and skin.
Health problems can also happen to people who have won the fight against nicotinism. This is possible due to the fact that changes have already developed in the system, the reversal of which takes time. Examinations aimed at eliminating diseases should be performed regularly, but also in the event of shortness of breath or persistent cough.
Respiratory research
- Focal lesions suggestive of malignancy are subjected to computed tomography.
- X-ray, i.e. radiological examination of the chest, is a necessary examination that should be carried out by anyone who has ever been involved in smoking. Thanks to it, irregularities located in the respiratory and circulatory systems are detected. If changes are diagnosed, the patient is subjected to more thorough examinations. The radiation used in the X-ray does not exceed the safe level.
- Spirometry will check the volume of the lungs together with their tidal volume and is repeated several times to obtain a reliable result. The patient first takes a deep and then a quick maximum breath into the mouthpiece mounted on the device.
- Pulse oximetry allows you to determine the percentage of oxygen saturation of hemoglobin. If it does not reach 95% and this situation persists for a long time, the development of respiratory failure may be suspected. 95-99% is considered ideal. The level is checked by a pulse oximeter placed on the subject’s finger.
Cardiovascular research
Smokers are exposed to thrombotic changes, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease and secondary arterial hypertension.
- ECG is the basis of tests recommended for former and current smokers. Electrocardiography will reveal ischemic heart disease, hypertrophic changes and previous infarctions. ECG
- exercise is more effective than a regular ECG, it is performed while riding a stationary bike or while running on a treadmill.
- Doppler ultrasonography concerns the carotid arteries and lower limbs, where atherosclerotic changes appear the earliest. Carotid atherosclerosis is suggested by short-term scotoma before the eyes, dizziness, and even a stroke. Pain in the area of the thighs and calves that is felt during movement is associated with intermittent claudication, which indicates atherosclerosis of the lower arteries.
- Measuring blood pressure on a regular basis will prevent organ damage from high blood pressure.
Additional testing for smokers
- Blood test – will show hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, diabetes.
- Gastrointestinal examination – will detect gastric and duodenal ulcers, as well as cancers located in the digestive tract.
- Densitometry – controls the condition of the bones. This is an important study because smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop osteoporosis.
- Examination by an ophthalmologist – in addition to conjunctivitis, the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts increases.