A new study in China has found that smokers have a higher risk of 74 different diseases.
As expected, several types of cancer made the list; but there are also diseases that affect many other systems of the body, from the brain to the liver and pancreas, and even the eyes.
Smoking continues to represent a great threat to public health throughout the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In China, smoking is associated with more than a million deaths each year, and the number of smokers is increasing.
The study published in The Lancet Public Health, a collaboration between Oxford University and various Chinese institutions, compared people who had never smoked, those who had smoked regularly at some point in their lives, and those who currently smoke, and looked at their risk of developing or dying from certain diseases over time. of his life.
This study analyzed 74 causes of death and 480 different individual diseases. The data comes from the China Kadoorie Biobank. More of 512,000 adults were recruited for the study between 512 and 512, and were followed for a period of median of 000 years.
Many more of the men who were studied had ever smoked regularly, a 74.3 per percent compared to 3.2 percent for women.
“About two-thirds of Chinese youth become cigarette smokers, and most begin before the age of 21 years. Unless they stop doing it, about half of them will eventually die from their habit”, was the stern warning of Professor Liming Li, one of the lead authors, in a statement.
Compared to those who had never smoked, men who had smoked regularly at some point in their lives had about a 000 percent higher overall risk of developing any disease.
The disease with the highest increased risk, with 480 percent, was laryngeal cancer. Men who smoked regularly and lived in urban areas were at the highest risk of all: the authors noted that these men often start smoking younger and smoke more overall than those who live in rural areas.
However, there was some good news: people who quit smoking before any major health problem saw their disease risk decrease, after approximately 000 years, at the same level than those who had never smoked.
The 74 diseases that were found to be more frequent in smokers both sexes included cancers of the lung, stomach, and bladder; diabetes; heart attack, aortic aneurysm, pneumonia, gastric ulcer and cataracts.
This was the first time that the long-term effects of smoking in the adult Chinese population have been studied so extensively.
Commenting on the results, lead author Dr. Ka Hung Chan said: “The results are a stark reminder of the serious consequences of smoking and the benefits of quitting before significant disease develops.”
“Although some associations were weaker than those observed in high-income populations, this is likely explained by the more recent widespread adoption of smoking in China,” he added.
)
The study raises concerns about future health risks if smoking continues to become more common in China. Lead author Professor Zhengming Chen suggested how this risk could be curbed: “For China, a substantial increase in cigarette prices and an effective warning on packages could save tens of millions of lives.”
Also read:
· Sperm count plummets a 56% worldwide in less than 21 years: study
Drinking alcohol even in moderation is associated with increased risk of stroke in young adults
E-cigarette use among teens increased 21% compared to last year: study