2024-04-11 08:05:49
The observation is clear: the components of tobacco damage DNA, promoting the occurrence of cancers, including of the bladder, urinary tract and kidney. In men, tobacco also increases the risk of prostate and penile cancer. It also induces sexual disorders, reducing erection and male fertility. In women, tobacco particularly exposes them to an increased risk of urinary incontinence. Overview of some of these harms, partly reversible by stopping smoking.
Cause number 1
The leading cause of reduced quality of life and years of life lost, smoking constitutes the main risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular pathologies.
Bladder and urinary tract cancer
Bladder cancer is the 7th most common cancer in men and the 17th in women. At the origin of approximately 50% of cases, tobacco is the most important risk factor. In question? The numerous components it contains are likely to alter DNA and which are partly eliminated through the urinary tract. These are thus stored in the bladder until it empties. These are aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic amines and compounds
N-Nitrosated. Note that the increased risk of cancer does not only concern the bladder, but the entire urinary tract (especially ureters). As for the beneficial effects of stopping smoking on the occurrence of bladder cancer, they only become significant after twenty years of stopping, even if the risk of a former smoker does not fall to the same level as that of a non-smoker.
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common in the world in men and the second leading cause of death from cancer in Europe, after lung cancer. Its risk factors include age, ethnicity (mainly African) and family predisposition. Although the direct link between smoking and the occurrence of prostate cancer is still poorly understood, one fact is becoming clearer: most studies observe, in smokers, more advanced stages of the disease at the time of diagnosis. The risk of metastases, recurrence and mortality is then increased. Furthermore, the response to treatment would be less effective in smokers. Some studies show that stopping smoking for more than ten years would allow you to return to the baseline risk.
Cancer du rein
Kidney cancer is the 12th most common cancer worldwide. Alongside obesity and high blood pressure, smoking is also a known risk factor, with an increased risk of developing the disease of 52% in an active smoker and up to 25% for a former smoker.
Kidney cancer is also often more aggressive in cases of smoking. The risk of developing such cancer decreases after ten years of stopping smoking.
Penile cancer
Rare in Europe, since it represents 0.4 to 0.6% of cancers, penile cancer is also impacted by smoking. It has in fact been shown that the latter doubles the risk of developing the disease. Other forms of tobacco consumption (for example, chewing, snuff) also increase this risk.
Erectile and fertility disorders
Many risk factors can contribute to erectile dysfunction. Among the best known: age, diabetes, excess cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and… tobacco.
As for infertility, which affects around 15% of couples today, a male infertility factor is associated in 50% of cases, often with an abnormal spermogram. However, tobacco would notably reduce the quality of sperm by lowering the number of sperm and their motility, and by increasing the number of sperm with abnormal morphology.
Urinary incontinence
Smoking also has a functional impact on urination and can thus cause various symptoms. Among them: the increased risk of urinary incontinence in women and voiding disorders in men.
What about electronic cigarettes?
Although the negative effects of passive smoking and e-cigarette consumption on the occurrence of urological disorders are suspected, more in-depth studies are still needed. However, we know that the urine of electronic cigarette users contains known carcinogens (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and acrylamides). These could, among other things, increase the risk of developing urinary tract tumors. The use of e-cigarettes also increases the risk of erectile dysfunction.
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* Adapted from: Gregoris A, Valerio M, Abboud A, Grobet-Jeandin E. The numerous urological impacts of smoking. Rev Med Switzerland. 2023; 9 (852): 2234-2238.
Published in Planète Santé magazine No. 52 – Mars 2024
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#Urology #harms #smoking