Cigarette smoking is a major health hazard, linked to lung cancer, heart disease, infertility, stillbirth, and low birth weight. Cigars contain the same addictive, toxic, and carcinogenic compounds as cigarettes, making them just as dangerous. People who smoke cigars in excess or inhale deeply are at an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. A single large cigar can contain more than half an ounce of tobacco and up to 200 milligrams of nicotine - more than double the amount found in a cigarette.
This can lead to nicotine cravings even with only a few cigars smoked per week. Cigar smokers also have a higher risk of oral cancer. Pipe smoking is also hazardous to health, as the tobacco used in pipes contains nicotine and carcinogens. Pipe smokers are more likely to develop lung, liver, head, and neck cancers than non-smokers.
There is no safe level of cigar smoking - even occasional smoking can be dangerous. The increase in prevalence of disease observed among former cigar smokers may be due to cessation of smoking after the onset of the disease.
Cigarette Type and Disease Risk
The type of cigarette smoked can influence the frequency of use and the depth of inhalation, which can affect the risks of illness from smoking cigars. It is not known how different types of cigars contribute to the observed increase in prevalence of disease and burden for former cigar smokers.Cigarette smoke contains many toxic and carcinogenic compounds, and people who smoke four or more cigars a day are exposed to an amount of smoke equivalent to 10 cigarettes - even if they don't inhale.
Nicotine Stomatitis
Nicotine stomatitis (also known as smoker's palate, smoker's keratosis, nicotine stomatitis, palatine stomatitis, palatine stomatitis, nicotine palatine leukokeratosis) is a diffuse white lesion that covers most of the hard palate and is generally related to pipe or cigar smoking.Self-Reported Medical Conditions
A study analyzing the association between cigar consumption and self-reported medical conditions found that former exclusive cigar smokers were more likely to report heart disease (APR = 1.33), stroke (APR = 2.42), and cancer (APR = 1.44) than never cigar smokers. Switching from smoking cigarettes to smoking cigars can be particularly harmful because you can inhale cigarette smoke the same way you inhaled cigarette smoke.Smoker keratosis generally occurs in heavy pipe smokers for a long time and in some cigar smokers or cigarette smokers - less commonly in cigarette smokers.
Conclusion
Cigar smoking is a major health hazard with no safe level of consumption. Cigars contain addictive, toxic, and carcinogenic compounds that can lead to nicotine cravings even with only a few cigars smoked per week. People who smoke cigars are at an increased risk of developing COPD, oral cancer, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.Pipe smoking is also hazardous to health due to the nicotine and carcinogens found in the tobacco used in pipes. Switching from cigarettes to cigars can be particularly harmful because you can still inhale cigarette smoke the same way you did before.
