Cigarette Smoke

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Did you know that cigarette smoke contains approximately 4000 harmful chemicals? Smoking has been proven to be extremely dangerous for anyone, but for those who have asthma, the combination can be deadly. Being exposed even to second-hand smoke can have extremely negative health effects. If you have asthma, consider the following:

  • Smoking damages the cilia in your lungs, those little hairlike structures that move foreign materials and irritants from your lungs. When the cilia are damaged, you are much more likely to get lung infections, which can make your asthma worse.
  • Smoking makes your asthma worse by increasing your chances of having attacks, making it harder to control symptoms, and causing permanent damage to airways.
  • If you smoke while you are pregnant, the chemicals are transported to your baby’s developing lungs, increasing your child’s chances of developing asthma.
  • Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke has been linked with the development of asthma and an earlier onset of the disease.
  • Children exposed to smoking have more upper respiratory infections, which are known triggers for asthma.
  • Studies have shown that your risk of having an asthma attack decreases the moment you stop smoking.

If you or a friend or family member have asthma, stay away from tobacco smoke! Here are some strategies for avoiding smoke-related attacks:

  • DO NOT SMOKE! If you do smoke, begin a supervised Smoking Cessation Program immediately. It may save your life, or the life of a loved one with asthma.
  • Request non-smoking areas in restaurants, or frequent restaurants or other public areas that are smoke-free.
  • Prevent others from smoking in your car or home, or around you and your family.
  • Avoid bars and other smoky environments.
  • Select smoke-free work environments. You are at your office or area of employment for long periods during the day. Being exposed to smoking all day can be extremely dangerous.

When you are exposed to smoke, there are some things that you can do to prevent or lessen the severity of an attack:

  • Be sure that your asthma is well-controlled at all times. You should not be using your Reliever Medication more than 3 to 4 times a week, excluding the medication you use to prevent Exercise-Induced Asthma.
  • Take some reliever medication before you anticipate entering a smoky environment. Never go anywhere without your reliever medication.

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