Dr Arvind Kohli
Tobacco use is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, including cancer, lung disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is one of the major causes of death and disease in India and accounts for nearly 1.35 million deaths every year. India is also the second largest consumer and producer of tobacco. A variety of tobacco products are available at very low prices in the country. The most prevalent form of tobacco use in India is smokeless tobacco and commonly used products are khaini, gutkha, betel quid with tobacco and zarda. Smoking forms of tobacco used are bidi, cigarette and hookah.
There are approximately 120 million smokers in India. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India is home to 12% of the world’s smokers. More than 1 million die each year due to tobacco in India. According to a WHO estimate, 25% of adult males in India smoke. Among adult females, the figure is much lower at between 13-15%. About 13.5% of students below the age of 16 are current tobacco users and 9.3% were former tobacco users and three fourths of students in India have never tried any form of tobacco. But the arrival of e cigarettes and hookah culture shall bring down the percentage of this group shortly
Stay away from Smoking
Tobacco smoke is incredibly harmful to health. There’s no safe way to smoke. Replacing cigarette with a cigar, pipe, e-cigarette, or hookah won’t help to avoid the health risks.because cigarettes contain about 600 ingredients. Many of these ingredients are also in cigars and hookahs. When they burn, they generate more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. At least 69 of them are carcinogenic, or known to cause cancer. The chemicals in tobacco smoke are harmful to body in many ways. For example:
* Nicotine causes arteriosclerosis in the cardiovascular system. This canlead to increase incidence of various events like heart attack brain stroke and limb ischemia
* Carbon monoxide deprives . heart of the oxygen it needs to pump blood around . body. Over time,it causes airways to swell up and let less air into your lungs.
* Tar is a sticky substance that coats the lining of the lungs like soot in a chimney.
* Phenols paralyse and kill the hair-like cells in the airways. These cells sweep clean the lining of the airways and protect them against infections.
* Tiny particles in tobacco smoke irritate the throat and lungs and cause ‘smoker’s cough’. This results in production of more mucus and damages lung tissue.
* Ammonia and formaldehyde irritate the eyes, nose and throat.
Cancer-causing chemicals make body cells grow too fast or abnormally known as metaplasia. This can result in cancer cells.
Diseases that can be caused by smoking
* Cancer
Smoking causes most lung cancers and can cause cancer almost anywhere on the body. This includes the lips, tongue, mouth, nose, oesophagus, throat, voice box, stomach, liver, kidney, pancreas, bladder, blood, cervix, vulva, penis and anus.
* Breathing problems and chronic respiratory conditions
Smoking is the main cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious, progressive and disabling condition that limits airflow in the lungs. Active smoking also worsens asthma in active smokers and is associated with an increased risk for asthma in adolescents and adults.
* Heart disease, stroke and blood circulation problems
Smoking is major cause of cardiovascular disease, such as heart disease and stroke. Smoking increases the risk of blood clots, which block blood flow to the heart, brain or legs. Some smokers end up having their limbs amputated due to blood circulation problems caused by smoking.
* Diabetes
Smoking causes type 2 diabetes, with the risk of developing diabetes 30 to 40% higher for active smokers than non-smokers. Smoking may also worsen some of the health conditions related to type 1 diabetes, such as kidney disease.
* Infections
Smoking weakens ones immune system so body is more likely to get bacterial and viral infections.
* Dental problems
Smoking increase the risk of gum diseases, tooth loss and tooth sensitivity. Once a person has gum damage, smoking also makes it harder for their gums to heal.
* Hearing loss
Smoking reduces blood flow to the inner ear. Smokers may also lose their hearing earlier than a non-smoker.
* Vision loss
Smoking damages the eye and can lead to macular degeneration – the main cause of blindness in Australia.
* Fertility problems
Smoking can make it more difficult to fall pregnant and affect sperm quality. Find out more about smoking and tobacco and pregnancy.Osteoporosis and menopauseSmoking is a risk factor for osteoporosis and in women, may result in early menopause compared to a non-smoker
* Seconhand smoke/Passive smoking
Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard causing more than 41,000 deaths per year. It can cause or make worse a wide range of damaging health effects in children and adults, including lung cancer, respiratory infections and asthma.Hence it should be stressed by any non smoker to politely tell a smoker to stop or shift his presence to other place
* Facts about Quitting Smoking
Nicotine is the chemical in cigarettes that causes addiction. Smokers not only become physically addicted to nicotine; they also link smoking with many social activities, making smoking an extremely difficult addiction to break..
Quitting smoking for good often requires multiple attempts. Using counseling or medication alone increases the chance of a quit attempt being successful; the combination of both is even more effective. There are seven medications . to aid in quitting smoking. Nicotine patches, nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges are available over the counter, and a nicotine nasal spray and inhaler are currently available by prescription. Bupropion SR . and varenicline . are non-nicotine pills..
Many tobacco users experience withdrawal symptoms during the first few weeks after they quit. Some common symptoms:are Trouble in sleeping Difficulty in concentrating Feeling anxious or restless Quit-smoking medications are very helpful for withdrawal symptoms. The work of quitting is important and difficult. Be kind to yourself during your quit smoking journey. You are trying to break an addiction and that’s no small feat!
On 31 May 2023, WHO and public health champions around the world will come together to celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). This year’s theme is “We need food, not tobacco”. The 2023 global campaign aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops. It will also aim to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the global food crisis.
(The author is CTVS Consultant GMC Jammu)
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