Table of contents:
- Damaged vocal cords from smoking can cause laryngitis
- The vocal cords damaged by smoking can cause laryngeal cancer
The vocal cords are the mucosal folds of the larynx (voice box). Located above the throat (trachea). Like other tissues in the body, the vocal cords can also be damaged. Damaged vocal cords can be caused by several things, one of which is smoking. Anyone seems to already know that smoking is bad for health. Cigarettes can trigger various malignant diseases to cause death. However, how can cigarettes cause damage to the vocal cords and how long does smoking take for the damage to occur? Check out the answer below.
Damaged vocal cords from smoking can cause laryngitis
Laryngitis is a condition in which the vocal cords become swollen so that the voice becomes hoarse. When inflamed, the sound that forms from the air passing through the vocal cords causes a hoarse voice. Laryngitis usually goes away within 2-3 weeks.
However, this disease can last longer, so it is called chronic laryngitis. Chronic laryngitis takes longer to heal, depending on the cause.
One of the causes of chronic laryngitis is smoking. The larynx in a person who smokes dries up and becomes irritated. Not only active smokers, passive smokers can also experience this. Cigarette smoke can also irritate the larynx, causing swelling and inflammation of the vocal cords. This swelling can lower the tone of your voice or make it sound hoarse and rough. Symptoms that are common when chronic laryngitis include:
- Hoarseness
- Lost voice
- Dry cough
- Fever
- Swollen glands in your neck, or lymph nodes
- Difficulty swallowing
The vocal cords damaged by smoking can cause laryngeal cancer
Laryngeal cancer is a tumor that grows on the larynx. One of the causes of laryngeal cancer is the habit of smoking cigarette smoke. Not only for active smokers, but also for passive smokers. Hot cigarette smoke when it enters the mouth and hits the vocal cords will accumulate and cause plaque. Over time, this plaque will widen, then injuring the vocal cords. These wounds take various forms, the most dangerous when these wounds become malignant lumps.
The more often and the more you smoke, the higher your risk of developing laryngeal cancer. People who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day, or people who smoke more than 40 years, are more likely to develop laryngeal cancer than people who don't smoke.
The toxins in cigarette smoke can weaken the immune system, making it difficult to kill cancer cells. When this happens, the cancer cells continue to grow without stopping. The toxins in tobacco smoke can damage or change cell DNA. DNA is the cell that controls the normal growth and function of cells. When DNA is damaged, cell growth can grow out of control and create cancer.
Common symptoms are hoarseness or a change in voice. Other symptoms are a prolonged cough, difficulty swallowing, pain when swallowing, loss of appetite and weight gain, lymph nodes in the neck, and shortness of breath.
Laryngitis and laryngeal cancer are only the effects of smoking, whether you are an active or passive smoker. Just losing your voice can prevent you from communicating and doing activities. Imagine if you have to experience prolonged shortness of breath just for a moment's enjoyment, or worse, the result of other people's irresponsible actions, it will significantly reduce the quality of your life, right?