Andrei Joseph Barrago

Joi Biblee Basada

Lian Joy Rigor
Cherrish May Macalla

Effects of Smoking Tobacco to our Respiratory and Circulatory System

Joi: Good morning, everyone! Now, we will be discussing the effects of smoking tobacco to our
respiratory and circulatory system.

For Respiratory

Lian: The respiratory system is affected by tobacco smoking. It can irritate our trachea and
larynx which can cause difficulty in breathing and severe coughs. It can also reduce lung
function and causes breathlessness due to swelling and narrowing of the lung airways and
excess mucus in the lung passages. This mucus is produced because of infections in our lungs.

Andrei: Smoking tobacco can cause infections and impairment of the lungs’ clearance system,
leading to build-up of poisonous substances that are harmful to our bodies, which results in lung
irritation and damage. This can cause severe damage that causes scarring of the small airways
which is also called bronchiolitis obliterans. Other effects of this build-up of poisonous
substances in our lungs is that it can also affect our nervous system and the heart.

Chay: In addition, increased risk of lung infection and symptoms such as coughing and
wheezing and permanent damage to the air sacs of the lungs are also other effects on the
respiratory system due to smoking of tobacco. Permanent damage to the air sacs may result in
emphysema, a lung condition where the inner walls of the alveoli are damaged, causing them to
eventually rupture. This may result in the reduction of gas exchange that causes shortness of
breath. One more effect of permanent damage to alveoli is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease (COPD
For Circulatory

Joi: The circulatory system is affected by tobacco smoking as well. It can increase blood
pressure, which can result in hypertension, or high blood pressure, and it can also change our
heart rate, which can result in an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Hypertension is the increase
of blood pressure higher than normal, while Arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat where the
electrical signals that coordinate the heart's beats don't work properly. The faulty signaling
causes the heart to beat too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia) or irregularly.

Lian: Smoking tobacco can cause the blood vessels in the skin to constrict, resulting in the
lowering of skin temperature. This may also result in internal blood clots that prevent blood from
flowing through our blood vessels due to the blood becoming stickier. The condition where
blood becomes stickier is called Antiphospholipid or Hughes syndrome.

Andrei or Chay: Less oxygen delivered by the blood during exercise is one of the additional
impacts of smoking tobacco on our circulatory system, which over time may have an adverse
effect on our brain or heart. Additionally, it may cause harm to the lining of the arteries, which is
known to be a contributing factor in the development of atherosclerosis, or the buildup of fatty
deposits in the walls of the arteries. You can develop a risk of having a heart attack, particularly
if fatty deposits accumulate in your heart and narrow the passageways for blood cells until they
become completely blocked. This buildup of fatty materials is called plaque.