HYDERABAD: As more than 10 lakh people are dying due to tobacco related diseases every year, doctors gave giving a call to ‘quit tobacco’ on the occasion of ‘World No Tobacco Day’ which will be observed on Sunday.
World over tobacco is responsible for the death of 1 in 10 adults (about 5 million deaths each year). A recent study in India estimated that cigarette and beedi smoking causes about 5 pc of all deaths in women and 20 pc of all deaths in men aged between 30 to 69 years. Unlike other addictions tobacco consumption virtually affects every organ of the human body leading to ill-health, said Dr P Vijay Anand Reddy, director of Apollo Cancer Hospital.
The main health hazards caused by tobacco consumption can be categorised under three groups - cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), pulmonary diseases and cancer.
CVD is one of the world’s leading causes of death and it is estimated that by 2020, CVD will be responsible for around 50 lakh deaths in India. Even in all cancer cases reported, half are caused due to tobacco usage, The habit of chewing tobacco and smoking make cancers of the oral cavity, lung, pharynx and esophagus more common in our country, Vijay Anand Reddy further said.
Besides cardiovascular diseases and cancers, tobacco consumption adversely affects reproductive health, digestive process, vision, bone metabolism, hypertension, diabetes, dental problems, among others. Besides this physical problem, tobacco users also experiences various psychological and social problems.
The shocking observation is that in spite of so many health problems arising out of tobacco consumption more than 20 crore people are habituated to tobacco products in one form or the other. Unlike worldwide trend, where 85 percent of tobacco is consumed in the form of cigarettes, in India only 13 percent of tobacco users consume it in the form of cigarettes, whereas 54 percent consume it in the form of beedis and the rest in raw or gutka thus stressing the need for stopping tobacco consumption in all forms, explained Dr Umanath Naik, oncologist at Apollo Hospital.
Another major problem due to tobacco usage is, in case of smoking, not just the smoker gets affected but people and family members around him also suffer.
According to a study about 1.5 to 3 lakh children suffer due to lung and chest disease every year due to passive smoking. Spouses of smokers are at increased risk of cancers and heart problems. Even pregnant women are at higher risk of passive smoking, observes Srirang Abkari, consultant internal medicine at Aware Global Hospital.
In this milieu there here are few tips from doctors to quit tobacco.
Tips to quit Tobacco
■ It is never too late!
■ Set a date (usually in the next 10 days). Your child or spouse’s birthday may also be a good idea to stop tobacco.
■ Make specific plans to deal with temptation like taking a walk, chewing gum, calling friend, among others
■ Avoid smoker’s company
■ Ask family and friends to stop smoking around you
■ Watch out for relapse
■ Avoid ‘just one can’t harm’ excuse.
■ Many commercial preparations (nicotine skin patches, nicotine impregnated chewing gum are in market to help smokers kick the habit.
■ Smo-quit, an oral drug which makes cigarette taste unpleasant and thus making smoking less difficult to abstain.