The Harmful Effects of Smoking Featuring Dr. Milan Khara, MBChB, CCFP, ABAM,

Duration: 2:00

The numbers that relate to tobacco use are actually staggering. This still is the number one preventable cause of death and disease globally. And if you look at the number of people who died worldwide today, that's 5 million per year, tobacco attributable deaths, and then very soon, probably by around 2030, there will be around 10 million tobacco attributable deaths worldwide. The number of deaths are rising, particularly in the developing world.

Most smokers understand that tobacco use is harmful, but they often underestimate the magnitude of risk. We all know about lung cancer. Those who smoke have a 20 fold increased risk of lung cancer. We know that lung cancer not the number one cancer killer in the world, 90% of lung cancer cases are attributable to tobacco smoke. So it's not just about lung cancer. A whole variety malignancies we know are linked to tabaco use. We know those who smoke are at a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular events, stroke and heart attack three to four times more likely smokers. And we also know that smokers are at a vastly increased risk of developing COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

One in two of all smokers will die prematurely as a consequence of their tobacco use. And the average loss of life is thought to be something in the region of 10 to 15 years. There's a variety of places that you can go to get support and advice for smoking cessation. Whether you see a pharmacist, the practice nurse or your family doctor. The kinds of support that are out there will increase the likelihood of success. And whether that help is using a smoking cessation medication, for example, a patch or a gum or one of the prescription medications or, whether it's receiving some counseling support, some advice some strategic planning around a quit attempt, or best of all, a combination of both. That approach will be beneficial in terms of increasing the likelihood of success.

Presenter: Dr. Milan Khara, Family Doctor, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Family Doctor