SMOKING is still a habit that one in seven adults in the UK partake in.

It’s no secret that cigarettes kill – they are detrimental to health in dozens of ways.

Smoking increases the risk of more than 50 serious health conditions.

It’s why the habit is one of the leading causes of deaths in the UK, taking the lives of some 78,000 people every year.

While you probably already know it’s possible to quit smoking – and there are resources to help you do so – it’s worth being aware of symptoms of deadly smoking-related diseases.

These include killer lung cancer, stroke, heart diseases and heart attacks.

The red flags of these conditions are:

1. Chronic cough
2. Coughing up blood
3. Persistent breathlessness
4. Repeated chest infections
5. Fatigue
6. Loss of appetite/weight loss
7. Feeling faint
8. Numbness or weakness in the legs/arms
9. Changing skin colour 
10. Erectile dysfunction
11. Swollen limbs

An emergency (call 999):

1. A drooping face
2. An inability to lift both arms in the air and keep them there
3. Slurred or garbled speech
4. Chest pain – a sensation of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across the chest 
5. Sudden pain in the upper body, spreading from the chest
6. Feeling lightheaded or dizzy 
7. Sweating 
8. Shortness of breath 
9. Feeling sick or being sick
10. An overwhelming sense of anxiety (similar to having a panic attack) 
11. Coughing or wheezing 

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Lung cancer

Smoking causes around seven out of every 10 cases of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer deaths in the UK, accounting for a fifth.

The disease doesn’t tend to cause symptoms until it is advanced.

It makes spotting the signs even more important in order to get treatment as soon as possible.

Look out for:

1. Chronic cough
2. Coughing up blood
3. Persistent breathlessness
4. Repeated chest infections
5. Fatigue
6. Loss of appetite/weight loss

Many people that light up have a so-called “smokers cough”.

This can mask lung cancer, as a chronic cough is the most common symptom.

If you are experiencing a cough that hasn’t gone away after two or three weeks, see a doctor.

Coughed-up blood will be bright red, and may be bubbly because it is mixed with mucus and air from the respiratory tract.

If you are finding it harder to take those stairs, or put the shopping away, you could have persistent breathlessness caused by lung cancer.

Repeated chest infections are a key sign of lung cancer. That’s because a tumour can block the airways.

Less common symptoms of lung cancer include:

• Changes in the appearance of your fingers, such as becoming more curved or their ends becoming larger (this is known as finger clubbing)
• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or pain when swallowing
• Wheezing
• A hoarse voice 
• Swelling of your face or neck
• Persistent chest or shoulder pain

Stroke

Smoking doubles your risk of death from stroke – when the brain’s supply of blood is disrupted, most of the time due to a clot. 

A stroke is a medical emergency – you shouldn’t wait until you can see your GP, but call an ambulance.

The quicker someone with a stroke is medically seen, the more likely it is they will survive and avoid any life-changing disabilities. 

The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the word FAST:

1. Face – the face may have dropped on 1 side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped.
2. Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm.
3. Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you're saying to them.
4. Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

Heart attack 

Smoking causes a number of changes in the body that heighten the risk of serious heart and blood vessel conditions.

It reduces blood flow from the heart, increases the risk of blood clots, damages blood vessels, and makes the artery walls sticky, all of which can end up causing a heart attack.

Research has suggested that smoking is a bigger risk factor for heart attacks in women than in men.

There are three early indicators you could be having a heart attack.

These are sweating, uneasiness (which has been likened to anxiety), and chest tightness.

Symptoms of a heart attack can include: 

1. Chest pain – a sensation of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across the chest 
2. Pain in the upper body – commonly it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms
3. Feeling lightheaded or dizzy 
4. Sweating 
5. Shortness of breath 
6. Feeling sick or being sick
7. An overwhelming sense of anxiety (similar to having a panic attack) 
8. Coughing or wheezing 

While the most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women is chest pain, women are more likely to experience other symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Cardiovascular diseases

It’s well documented that harmful substances in tobacco can damage and narrow the blood vessels.

This can go on to cause atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and peripheral arterial disease – all examples of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The longer someone has smoked, and the more cigarettes they have per day, raises the risk of CVD – one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK.

Research shows a huge proportion of smokers may be dying of a heart disease that they have no idea they’ve got.

Symptoms may include:

1. Chest pain
2. Shortness of breath
3. Feeling faint or nauseous
4. Numbness in the legs
5. Changing skin colour 
6. Erectile dysfunction

But often there are no signs of CVD – such as with atherosclerosis.

If you want to quit smoking, try the NHS Smoking Helpline – in England 0800 434 6677, Wales 0800 085 2219, Scotland 0800 84 84 84, Northern Ireland 0808 812 8008.

You can download the free NHS Quit Smoking app to your phone to track your progress, or use the resources on the website.

Pharmacies to offer stop smoking services

THE NHS has encouraged patients to seek support to stop smoking from their local pharmacy.

Every pharmacy in England will be able to offer stop smoking support to patients when they are discharged from hospital.

It means that smokers who are admitted to hospital and encouraged to quit can get help from their nearest chemist.

People will be able to make three face-to-face appointments with a pharmacist and receive stop-smoking supplies for free.

The latest NHS figures show that more than half a million hospital admissions a year are attributable to smoking.

The move follows a pilot scheme in Oldham, Greater Manchester, where three in five people who utilised the service successfully quit.

Dr Bola Owolabi, director of health inequalities for the NHS in England, said: “Leaving hospital is a good incentive for people to quit smoking – and NHS pharmacies will be on their local high street with advice, support and treatment to help them stub out the dangerous habit once and for all.”

The radical action is part of the NHS Long Term Plan to offer tobacco treatment services to all hospital inpatients by 2023/24.   

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