Tobacco-related diseases are some of the biggest killers in the world today and are cited as one of the biggest causes of premature death in industrialized countries. In the United States about 500,000 deaths per year are attributed to smoking-related diseases and a recent study estimated that as much as 1/3 of China's male population will have significantly shortened life-spans due to smoking. Male and female smokers lose an average of 13.2 and 14.5 years of life, respectively. At least half of all lifelong smokers die earlier as a result of smoking. The risk of dying from lung cancer before age 85 is 22.1% for a male smoker and 11.9% for a female current smoker, in the absence of competing causes of death.
The corresponding estimates for lifelong nonsmokers are a 1.1% probability of dying from lung cancer before age 85 for a man of European descent, and a 0.8% probability for a woman. Smoking one cigarette a day results in a risk of heart disease that is halfway between that of a smoker and a non-smoker. The non-linear dose response relationship is explained by smoking's effect on platelet aggregation.
Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do to improve your life and health. Any attempt to quit smoking will make you stronger. It's never too late to reap the benefits, some of which happen within the first few days. With the right combination of practice, determination and support, you will be able to stop smoking for good!
Quit smoking and you'll start feeling better within 24 hours. The minute you stop smoking, your body will begin cleansing itself of tobacco toxins. Two days after you quit, your risk of heart attack will start decreasing ... and that's just the beginning!
Smokers could soon be persuaded to give up by their dentists under new health plans for Bolton.
Staff at the borough's NHS dental surgeries will be trained in offering support and advice to smokers when they call in for check-ups.
Health experts hope the measure will enable them to reach more smokers than ever before and are confident people will welcome the extra help.
"The patient group involved isn't the same as that which visits their GP, and dental visits are generally at least every 12 months, which is more frequent than most people go to see their doctor, so this is a great place to push the public health message."
The training, which will mainly be given to dental nurses, will be carried out over the next two years, but it is expected the first surgeries could be advising patients within the next few months.
Local NHS dentists have welcomed the move, which they agree will make a big difference to Bolton's high smoking rates.
