I recently ran into an old high school friend and during the excitement of catching up on gossip, I discovered that she had began smoking right after high school as part of her “coming of age” journey. This news troubled me, especially since I had just discharged a patient with severe emphysema who would require supplementary oxygen to survive given how extensive the damage to her lungs was. I couldn’t help conveying my concern to Ama, my high school friend, who responded by rolling her eyes and stating that she planned to quit soon. The problem though is that despite great intentions, many people fail to stop smoking due to the very addictive nature of nicotine. And a greater problem is that people are choosing to start smoking at even earlier ages. Like many other unpleasant events, we seem to operate on the assumption that “we are untouchable” and that bad stuff always happens to other people. But the data on tobacco is quite clear and paints a very alarming picture which should make anyone, regardless of age, steer clear. So I have chosen to let that raw data speak to you instead of trying to dress it in long prose or flowery language. I hope that ultimately, it serves to save someone’s life!
Demographics: Who is smoking?
- 20.6% of US adults (~ 48 million people 18 yrs or older)
- 20.0% of US high school students
- looking at adults only: 36% American Indians, 21% Whites, 19.8% Blacks, 13% Hispanic and 9.6% Asian Americans
Tobacco smoking causes:
- More deaths annually than those related to HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, suicides and murders all combined!
- 443,000 deaths per year in US (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
- 1 in 5 deaths in the US are caused by tobacco smoking
- 5 million deaths worldwide per year
- 49,400 deaths per year in US from secondhand smoke exposure
- 269,655 deaths annually among US men
- 173,940 deaths annually among US women
- people who smoke die 14 years on average, earlier than those who don’t
Adverse health effects from smoking:
- Cancer of the following organs: lung, oral cavity, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, uterus and cervix
- Heart disease and heart failure, leading cause of death in the U.S.)
- Chronic lung disease (emphysema, bronchitis, worsens asthma)
- Strokes (due to increased risk of clotting)
- Peripheral artery disease (narrows blood vessels causing decreased blood circulation along with pain, gangrene and sometimes amputation of limb)
- Abdominal aortic aneurysms
Other effects in women specifically:
- Infertility
- Still birth
- Low birth weight
- Pre-term delivery/ premature baby
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Lower bone density and increased hip fractures in menopausal women who smoke compared to non-smokers
Ready to quit or have questions?
This must be one of the hardest things to do for most people. From interactions with my patients, I know that it requires much more than will-power, good intentions, guilty feelings or pressure from friends and family. Like trying to loose weight through eating healthy or exercising, sometimes having a coach to cheer you on and pick you up during those low days is essential. Your doctor is one of your best advocates and can provide you with great resources, aids (e.g. nicotine patches or gum) and physical check ups to get you started. The following resources provide additional information that might be helpful. Good luck! I’m rooting for you!
- Pathways to Freedom: Winning the Fight Against Tobacco (Booklet downloadable as pdf. Addresses issues specific to African Americans) http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/pathways/pdfs/pathways.pdf
- Smokefree.gov
- 1-800-QUIT-NOW (free phone service)
References:
All information obtained from CDC Smoking & Tobacco health information sheets. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/index.htm. Accessed May 4th 2010.