20 minutes after
quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure
Amplification, Mahmud, A, Feely, J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.)
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your
blood drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General's
Report, 1988, p. 202)
2 weeks to 3
months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your
lung function increases.
(US Surgeon General's
Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323)
1 to 9 months
after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath
decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the
lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to
handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
(US Surgeon General's
Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
1 year after
quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is
half that of a smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's
Report, 1990, p. vi)
5 years after
quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a
nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
(US Surgeon General's
Report, 1990, p. vi)
10 years after
quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that
of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat,
esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
(US Surgeon General's
Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164,166)
15 years after
quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a
non-smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's
Report, 1990, p. vi)
Additional Resources
Guide to Quitting Smoking
Revised: 10/30/2007
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