Smoking habit as a risk factor for people's health

Introduction: Smoking is considered a dangerous risk factor for illness, complications, and mortality from diseases of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, genitourinary, and nervous systems. It not only puts the smoking population at risk but also those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Method: A descriptive bibliographic review was conducted between July and August 2021 at the Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences. Various prestigious national and international search engines and bibliographic resources, such as the VHL, Infomed, ClinicalKey, and books, were used, respecting the principles of medical ethics. Objective: The objective was to describe the risk factors of smoking for people's health. Development: Tobacco use is a risk factor that predisposes to various diseases. These include respiratory diseases (chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma), cardiovascular diseases (ischemic heart disease, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and myocardial infarction), and various types of cancer (lung cancer, gastric cancer, lip cancer, laryngeal cancer, and esophageal cancer). It is also particularly harmful during pregnancy. It not only affects smokers but also passive smokers. Conclusions: It was concluded that smoking represents the main risk factor for various chronic non-communicable diseases such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and various types of cancer. In adult women, it affects the pregnancy and the location of the baby. It also significantly increases the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.