World No Tobacco Day 2020: Unique risks for women smokers

Today, on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, we need to understand that smoking affects men and women in different ways. Read on to know more.

By: Jahnavi Sarma | | Updated: May 31, 2020 9:02 am

Tags: Women and smoking World No Tobacco day

Smoking accounts for almost 80 per cent of deaths as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in women every year. @Shutterstock

If you are a woman and you smoke two or more packs of cigarettes a day, then your risk of dying of lung cancer is 20 times higher than among women who do not smoke. Women smokers face many unique health risks that are distinctly different from men who smoke. Today, on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, we need to understand that smoking affects men and women in different ways. Women smokers suffer all the consequences of smoking that men. But their risk of various cancers like cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, kidney and bladder go up more than in men. Their risk of respiratory diseases is also higher. Also Read - DO THIS when you see someone smoke

What research says

According to a study at the University of Alberta’s Mazankowski Heart Institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, even light-to-moderate cigarette smoking is associated with a significant increase in the risk of sudden cardiac death in women. The risk of sudden cardiac death rose 8 per cent for each five years of smoking. However, within 15-20 years of smoking cessation the risk of sudden cardiac death drops to that of a nonsmoker. The American Heart Association journal Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology published this study. Also Read - World No Tobacco Day 2020: Why some people develop constipation when they stop smoking?

Another study at the Moffitt’s Lifetime Screening and Prevention Center and the University of South Florida’s Dermatology and Family Medicine Clinics say that women who have non-melanoma skin cancers are more likely to have smoked cigarettes compared to women without skin cancer. Researchers looked at the relationship between cigarette smoking and non-melanoma skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). The results were published in Cancer Causes Control. Also Read - World No Tobacco Day 2020: Know your risk of different types of cancers if you smoke or chew tobacco

Health risks of women who smoke

According to experts, breast cancer risk goes up significantly in women who smoke.

You are also twice as likely to develop lung cancer as men.

Smoking accounts for almost 80 per cent of deaths as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in women every year.

You also significantly increase your risk of suffering a stroke and related complications.

You will show signs of ageing sooner. Women who smoke develop fine lines and wrinkles at a younger age.

You may develop dental problems. Gum disease, dental decay, and halitosis (bad breath) is common among women smokers.

You may be at risk of mental problems like anxiety and depression. But this risk could also be due to the fact that if you are depressed or under stress, you are more likely to light up.

It affects your reproductive health. You will face the risk of infertility, preterm delivery and stillbirth. The dangers of low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) also goes up considerably.

You may also experience menopause 3 or 4 years earlier than non-smokers.

Postmenopausal women smokers have lower bone density than women who never smoked. This increases your risk of fractures and early onset of osteoporosis. Hip fractures are a particular risk.

Women exposed to second-hand smoke also faces a greater risk of lung cancer and heart disease.

Published : May 31, 2020 9:00 am | Updated:May 31, 2020 9:02 am

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