#AHT: Addiction to cigarettes is a cause of premature death

Australian specialists have already completed a study, according to which two-thirds of smokers are at risk of premature death due to addiction to cigarettes, if they do not give up this bad habit. More than 200,000 people participated in the study. According to the conclusions of specialists, second-hand smoke is no less dangerous, which causes serious health problems: Stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and sudden infant death syndrome. This is why the World Health Organization recommends smoke-free public places. “American Hospital Tbilisi” – AHT is involved in this campaign, whose leading doctors and specialists actively take preventive measures to reduce the risk of lung cancer and encourage patients to give up this bad habit.

According to Australian researchers, about 8 million people die prematurely each year due to cigarette addiction. These appalling statistics apply not only to “tobacco use” or smoking but also to alternatives to cigarettes, including chewing tobacco, which also causes premature death.

Overall, during the 20th century, about 100 million people died prematurely due to tobacco use, among others in relatively wealthy countries. Today, the situation is quite different, as the burden of serious health problems due to smoking is already shifting from rich countries to middle- and low-income countries. According to some studies, experts estimate that in the 21st century, one billion people may die prematurely due to tobacco use.

According to various studies, almost 13% of deaths worldwide in 2017 were the result of direct smoking; 2% was the result of second-hand smoking. This means that 15% or one in seven people died prematurely due to tobacco use.

It is worth noting that the specialists indicated several countries in the research, where one out of every five people dies due to smoking. These countries are China, Denmark, Netherlands, Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Greenland.

Since 1950, lung cancer death rates have been high in the US and Spain due to tobacco use, according to a new study. However, the situation was exactly similar in many European countries. In the US, lung cancer mortality rates peaked in the 1980s, and in Spain relatively late in the 1990s. According to these indicators, specialists concluded that the biggest risk factor for the spread of lung cancer is tobacco consumption and addiction.

At the end of the research, experts recommend that the best way to reduce the dependence on tobacco (cigarettes) and to prevent serious health problems caused by smoking is to increase the prices of cigarettes and other alternative products to cigarettes; Also – prohibit advertising of tobacco and tobacco products through mass media; Reducing the area of ​​smoking (in hotels, restaurants, cafes, and other public institutions); Active PR campaign to stop smoking and promote a healthy lifestyle.