This disease slowly destroys a person's ability to breathe. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema together kill about 81,000 people each year. Smoking is responsible for more than 65,000 of these deaths. Smoking increases the risk of heart disease, which is America's number one killer. Almost 180,000 Americans die each year from cardiovascular diseases.
Smoking doubles the risk of heart disease.
Also, of those who have had a heart attack, smokers are more likely to have another. For the pregnant woman, the risk is not just to herself, but to her unborn baby. The woman who smokes has a greater chance of losing her baby during pregnancy. Or, the baby may be born too early or too small. These babies may have a hard time breathing when they are born.