Why do smokers have a “cigarette cough?
” The irritants in smoke provoke the protective mechanisms of the air passages and lungs; this causes coughing. The well-known early morning cough of smokers is a separate phenomenon. Cigarette smoke has as anesthetic effect of cilia, tiny hair like structures lining the airways that normally beat outwards, forcing foreign matter from the lungs. When they stop, some of the poisons in the smoke remain in the lungs. During the hours of sleep, the cilia recover and begin working again. Hence, when smokers arise, they cough because their lungs are attempting to clear the deposits of the previous day’s smoking. When cilia are repeatedly exposed to smoke over a long period of time, however, their action is permanently destroyed. Then smokers’ lungs are even more exposed to damage than before. 18. Does cigarette smoking affect the heart? Yes, based on Health Canada figures, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada estimates that smoking plays a role in 30% of deaths due to some form of heart
