DISEASES CAUSED BY SMOKING HABITS

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today released a new comprehensive report on smoking and health, revealing for the first time that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body. Published 40 years after the surgeon general's first report on smoking - which concluded that smoking is a definite cause of three serious diseases - this newest report finds that cigarette smoking is associated with diseases such as convincing leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach.

"We have known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this report shows that it's worse than we know," said Dr. Carmona. "The toxins from cigarette smoke go everywhere the blood flow I hope this new information will help motivate people to quit smoking and convince young people not to start in the first place .."

According to the report, smoking kills about 440,000 Americans are estimated each year. On average, men who smoke cut their lives short by 13.2 years, and female smokers lose 14.5 years. Victims of economy exceeds $ 157 billion every year in the United States - $ 75 billion in direct medical costs and $ 82 billion lost productivity.

"We need to cut smoking in this country and around the world," said HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "Smoking is the leading cause of death and disease, the cost of our lives too much, too many dollars and too many tears if we will be serious about improving health and preventing disease we must continue to reduce tobacco use .. And we must prevent our youth from taking habits be dangerous. "

In 1964, the Surgeon General's report announced medical research showing that smoking is the exact cause of lung cancer and larynx (voice box) in men and chronic bronchitis in men and women. Later reports concluded that smoking causes a number of other diseases such as cancer of the bladder, esophagus, mouth and throat, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive effects. The new report today, the Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, expands the list of diseases and conditions associated with smoking. New disease and cataracts, pneumonia, acute myeloid leukemia, abdominal aortic aneurysm, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, kidney cancer and periodontitis.

Statistics show that more than 12 million Americans have died from smoking since the 1964 report of the surgeon general, and another 25 million Americans alive today will most likely die from smoking-related illnesses.

Release of the report comes in the face of World No Tobacco Day, an annual event on May 31 that focuses global attention on the health hazards of tobacco use. The purpose of World No Tobacco Day is to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, encourage people not to use tobacco, motivate users to quit and encourage countries to implement comprehensive tobacco control programs.

This report concludes that smoking reduces the overall health of smokers, contributing to conditions such as hip fractures, complications from diabetes, increased wound infections after surgery, and a variety of reproductive complications. For every premature death caused by smoking every year, there are at least 20 smokers living with a serious disease associated with smoking.

Another major conclusion, consistent with recent findings of other scientific studies, is that smoking so-called low tar or low nicotine cigarettes do not offer health benefit over smoking regular or "full flavor" cigarettes.

"There is no safe cigarette, whether it is called 'light,' ultra-light," or other names, "said Dr. Carmona." The science is clear: the only way to avoid the health hazards of smoking is to quit completely or not start smoking. "

This report concludes that quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits, reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking and improving health in general. "In a few minutes and hours after smokers inhale that last cigarette, their bodies begin a series of changes that continue for years," said Dr. Carmona. "Among these health improvements is a decrease in heart rate, improved circulation, and reduce the risk of heart attack, lung cancer and stroke With smokers quit smoking today can ensure healthy tomorrow .."

Dr. Carmona said never too late to quit smoking. Quitting smoking at age 65 years or more reduced nearly 50 percent of a person's risk of death from smoking-related illnesses.