Thousands of people have suffered due to tobacco use. - Thousands struggling with health problems due to tobacco use
Saxony Witnesses Thousands Battle Severe Health Complications due to Tobacco Use
A recent analysis by AOK Plus has revealed that thousands of individuals in the region of Saxony are grappling with severe health repercussions resulting from tobacco consumption. AOK, a prominent German health insurance company, has underscored smoking as a significant, often underestimated health hazard. It has been estimated that approximately one in five adults still regularly indulges in smoking, with an alarming number of young people also adopting cigarettes or e-cigarettes.
In anticipation of World No Tobacco Day (May 31), AOK is urging people to take the step toward a smoke-free future.
Immediate and Long-term Health Advantages of Quitting Smoking, Detailed
AOK has outlined the immediate health benefits and long-term advantages of quitting smoking. The risk of cancer, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases significantly decreases with cessation. Furthermore, physical fitness improves, and life expectancy increases.
The body experiences immediate positive changes. Within 20 minutes, blood pressure and pulse normalize, and within a few weeks, lung function improves. Months to years post-cessation result in a significant reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke, or cancer, with heart attack risk becoming comparable to a non-smoker after 15 years.
Cancer
- Reduced Risk Over Time: The risk of developing lung cancer and cancers associated with smoking declines continually after quitting.
- Long-term Outcomes: After a decade, the risk of lung cancer is approximately half that of a continuing smoker; after 15 years, the risk is comparable to a person who never smoked.
- Other Cancers: Quitting also reduces the risk of oral, throat, esophageal, bladder, cervical, and pancreatic cancers.
Cardiovascular Disease
- Immediate Improvement: Within a few weeks of quitting, blood circulation enhances, and blood pressure and heart rate start to normalize.
- Long-term Benefits: After 5–15 years of abstinence, the risk of coronary heart disease approaches that of a non-smoker, as does the risk of stroke.
- Arterial Health: The risk of atherosclerosis decreases over time, reducing the likelihood of heart attack and other cardiovascular complications.
Respiratory Disease
- Immediate Benefits: Within days to weeks, lung function improves,Lessening symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath.
- Long-term Recovery: Over months and years, the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and related lung conditions declines.
- Disease Progression: For those already diagnosed with COPD, quitting smoking can slow disease progression and improve quality of life.
A warning from global health organizations highlights tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death, causing diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness. Quitting tobacco at any age offers health benefits, lowers the risk of multiple chronic diseases, and contributes significantly to long-term health and well-being.
- The analysis by AOK Plus indicates that a significant number of individuals in Saxony are facing severe health complications due to tobacco use, which includes conditions like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory diseases.
- In line with the World No Tobacco Day, AOK is encouraging people to reconsider their smoking habits, highlighting the immediate health benefits and long-term advantages of quitting.
- Cessation of smoking significantly reduces the risk of cancer, including lung cancer and various other associated cancers such as oral, throat, esophageal, bladder, cervical, and pancreatic cancers.
- Quitting smoking also offers substantial benefits for cardiovascular health, with improved blood circulation, normalization of blood pressure and heart rate, and a decreased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, among other cardiovascular complications, over time.
