Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Published : May 28, 2020 2:33 PM IST
China has largest tobacco-using population in the world, followed by India. @Shutterstock
Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). While most deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, around 1.2 million are the result of exposure to second-hand smoke. The WHO designated May 31 as the World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.
The WHO noted that the tobacco industry has been employing systematic, aggressive and sustained tactics to attract youth to tobacco and nicotine products. The World No Tobacco Day 2020 aims to protect youth from tobacco industry manipulation by launching counter-marketing campaign. The WHO urges young influencers in pop culture, on social media, in the home, or in the classroom to expose the industries' manipulative tactics and join in the fight against Big Tobacco.
We are also taking part in the anti-tobacco campaign by publishing a series of articles on the health effects of tobacco use. In this article, we will highlight the various health problems that smoking tobacco can cause.
China has largest tobacco-using population in the world, followed by India. According to the WHO, India is home to 12% of the world's smokers and there are approximately 120 million smokers in India. According to WHO, tobacco kills more than 1 million people each year in India, accounting for 9.5% of all deaths. If you're a smoker, quit it now, to reduce your risk of developing some of these deadly diseases.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, and smoking is the number one cause of this type of cancer. Smoking is also a risk factor for cancers of the: Mouth, Larynx (voice box), Pharynx (throat), Esophagus (swallowing tube), Kidney, Cervix, Liver, Bladder, Pancreas, Stomach, Colon/rectum, and Myeloid leukemia.
Smoking has been linked to many lung diseases that can be nearly as bad as lung cancer. Smokers are at greater risk of developing COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a lung disease which includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease. But quitting smoking can help keep symptoms under control and prevent the damage from getting worse. Smoking can also worsen symptoms of pneumonia and asthma.
Smoking is the cause of one out of every five heart disease deaths. But is one of the most preventable causes of heart disease. Nicotine from cigarette smoke can lead to hardening of the arteries, which makes your heart work harder. It can increase heart rate and raise blood pressure, which are leading causes of stroke. Smoking is also linked to increased risk of developing coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and heart attack.
Studies have shown that smokers are 30 40% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than non-smokers. If you have diabetes and smoke too, you're more likely than non-smokers to have trouble controlling the disease. This is because smoking increases your blood sugar levels and decreases your body's ability to use insulin.
Smoking is one of the leading causes of tuberculosis (TB), a contagious airborne disease caused mainly by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis affects one-fourth of the world's population. Tobacco use can damage the lungs and weaken the body's immune system, making smokers more susceptible to TB infection. Not only smoking increases the risk of contracting TB, it also increases the risk of recurrent TB and impairs the response to treatment of the disease.
