Is pulmonary dysfunction the common denominator for the multiple effects of cigarette smoking?

It is suggested that pulmonary dysfunction underlies the many diverse and apparently non-specific effects of cigarette smoking. The differences in degree as well as type of clinical expression probably derive not only from the multiplicity of constituents of the tobacco itself but also from the variation in vulnerability of different individuals and different target organs, which is attributable to other environmental exposures, previous history, and intrinsic susceptibility.