Healthy Living

The Risks of Smoking for Fibromyalgia Patients

The Risks of Smoking for Fibromyalgia Patients

It has been known since its origin that smoking does more harm than good to someone's body. Cigarettes contain much more than just tobacco: each and every one contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 400 known toxins and over 40 carcinogenic agents. Cigarettes contain ingredients such as tar, carbon monoxide (the same one that car engines produce), ammonia, formaldehyde, hydrogen, cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.

One of the most damaging components is nicotine which, due to its highly addictive nature, forces the person to become dependent on them and to be exposed to their harmful chemicals on subsequent occasions. Nevertheless, despite their harmful effects on healthy individuals, researchers have discovered that the substances contained in cigarettes might be more hazardous to individuals that suffer from fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia, or FM, is a chronic disease characterized by chronic musculoskeletal pains, with a noticeable hypersensitivity in several points of the person’s body, aptly named tender points. The pain, however, manifests itself despite no signs of physical damage nor organic alterations in the individual, which makes diagnosing the disease a very challenging and time-consuming endeavor. Besides the chronic pain, fibromyalgia is related to a wide variety of symptoms that may or may not be present in every individual that suffers from it, such as constant fatigue, and excessive feelings of exhaustion that can’t be repaired through a good night’s rest. Furthermore, Fibromyalgia tends to coexist with other rheumatological or psychological disorders.

Due to the lack of any physical signs, the wide variety of symptoms, and frequent psychological or rheumatoid afflictions that often assail the patients, fibromyalgia has often been cataloged as a somatological disorder. However, in the past few years, there has been significant research on the topic, and theories claiming that fibromyalgia is created by somatization have been in a steady decline. In the year 1992, fibromyalgia was officially declared a disease by the World Health Organization, and it was around this time when the condition’s neurological origins were established. Despite the underlying causes behind the disease still remaining a mystery, it has been determined that most of its symptoms stem from a chemical imbalance in the person’s central nervous system, which can lead to generalized allodynia and hyperalgesia.

Despite being able to manifest in everyone, fibromyalgia tends to discriminate between individuals according to several factors. Gender, for example, is an important risk factor as the disease is 10 times more common in women than it is in men. Age, while not as important as gender, also plays an important role, considering that the disease manifests mostly in people in the 20-50 age range while remaining less common in children and the elderly. Nevertheless, it has also been determined that over 90% of patients that fit the fibromyalgia profile seldom receive a formal diagnosis, which means that the vast majority of the cases often go unnoticed until a significant amount of time has passed, and the symptoms have taken a turn for the worse.

Fibromyalgia and smoking

Those who suffer from this disease often have to make several lifestyle changes in order to accommodate its symptoms. Symptoms can often be treated with medication, but the underlying causes must be addressed by assuming an improved lifestyle, following a healthy diet and, in some cases, supplement these new habits with behavioral therapy.

Smoking, in particular, is a very hazardous habit for those who suffer from fibromyalgia, as the chemicals contained in each cigarette can worsen its symptoms.

Inflammation, for instance, is a common symptom in fibromyalgia and can be the source of many of the person’s pains. Unfortunately, smoking tobacco has been proven to create inflammation in the person, leaving those who suffer from fibromyalgia feeling worse after having a smoke. Smoking also weakens the immune system, a structure that most fibromyalgia sufferers need to keep at peak performance at all times to prevent further illness from befalling them.

Unfortunately, smoking also constricts the person’s airway and causes mucus and phlegm to accumulate in the person’s lungs. Mucus, on the other hand, is a known breeding ground of bacteria which, due to the person’s weakened immune system, can lead to further infection and the exacerbation of symptoms already present in the individual. Furthermore, considering that over 20% of deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to conditions related to smoking, quitting the habit is a smart move not only for those who suffer from fibromyalgia but for everyone, in general. 

As if that wasn’t enough, smoking has been proved to be the cause of over 15% of all cases of airway obstruction, as well as over 90% of deaths due to the conditions related to said obstructions, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Nicotine, the substance responsible for creating an addiction to cigarettes in the person, can also cause negative symptoms such as increased heart rate, forcing the heart to work at an accelerated pace. Nicotine also causes the blood vessels to constrict, which can lead to poor circulation, especially in the smaller vessels of distal structures. Constricted blood vessels and accelerated heart rate are important contributors to the development of heart disease and can lead to fatal episodes of stroke, as well as permanent conditions such as circulatory problems, and kidney failure.

If anything, the smoke in cigarettes contains traces of carbon monoxide, the very same substance that car engines produce. If engine fumes are dangerous to inhale in excess due to the risk of poisoning, then odds are that smoking can also lead to the very same fate somewhere down the line. Granted, inhaling smoke from a cigarette will seldom be the same as directly taking in the exhaust of a car, but the effects are bound to manifest in the long run.

In small amounts, however, carbon monoxide interferes with the red blood cells' ability to transport oxygen to the cells that require the vital substance, making the heart work faster to complement the deficiency.

In conclusion, smoking is an unhealthy habit, in general. Healthy individuals that partake in the activity will benefit greatly from abandoning it. However, for those who suffer from fibromyalgia, it is vital that they refrain from smoking, as the activity can severely worsen the symptoms and negatively impact their overall quality of life.