Smoking and Health Flashcards
History of Smoking
- In 1826, the pure form of nicotine is finally discovered and scientists find that it is dangerous
- in 1847, Phillip Morris is established
Smoking is directly related to ___% of lung deaths and ___-___% of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease deaths?
90% and 80-90%
Hazards of Smoking?
Causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes and COPD
How can smoking cause lung cancer?
- smoking damages your lungs natural cleaning and repair system and traps cancer-causing chemicals in your lungs
- chemicals mix and form sticky tar that lines your lungs
the cilia that lung your lungs help clean dirt - if cilia are covered in tar, they cant clean properly and germs, chemicals, and dirt stay in lungs and cause disease-cancer
How can smoking cause COPD?
- as you breathe in, your alveoli help you absorb oxygen into your body, and as you breathe out, alveoli help you get rid of the waste gas-carbon dioxide.
- smoking damages the structure of the alveoli by making it less stretchy-harder for lungs to take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide
- leads to shortness of breath and feeling tired
- the heart has to work hard to give body oxygen it needs
- over time, this damage leads to COPD
How many Canadians and Americans does smoking kill a year?
- 37000 Canadians and 480000 Americans a year
Economic Costs of a Smoke vs. Non-Smoker
- healthcare for smokers are higher
- overall, smokers cost healthcare systems less because they die younger
Benefits of Quitting Smoking
- After 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse
return to normal - After 12 hours the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal
- After 24 hours your lungs start to clear
- After two days your body is nicotine-free and your sense of taste and smell improve
- After three days you can breathe more easily, and your energy increases
- After two to 12 weeks, your circulation improves.
- After three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing improves
- After one year your heart attack risk is half that of a smoker
- After 10 years your lung cancer risk is half that of a smoker
- After 15 years the risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker
Health Consequences of Smoking Cessation
- Smoking cessation results in many positive
health consequences; most immediately and
substantially cessation reduces the risk for
coronary heart disease and other
cardiovascular diseases
High Recidivism Rates
- Failure rates amongst self-quitters have
consistently been shown to be as high as 95-98%
after 1 year - Relapse after quitting is fast and common
- (nearly half relapse within 2 weeks)
- Up to 70% of current smokers wish to quit or have made at least 1 quit attempt (Graul et al., 2005; Maurer et al., 2006)
Why is Quitting hard?
- Weight Managment: nicotine regulates metabolism
- Psychological: helps control mood and stress
- Habit and Sensory (reinforcing cues): risky situations that trigger the urge to smoke
- Risk factors: depression, history of alcohol or drug abuse, low SES, co-morbidity
Nicotine- How it works
- within several seconds, about 1/4 of the nicotine has gone through the bloodstream straight to the brain
Nicotine Metabolism
- nicotine is metabolized to cotinine, and cotinine is metabolized to 3-hydroxycotinine by the liver enzyme cytochrome P450 2A6
- the rate of nicotine metabolism has been found to predict smoking behaviour
Cutting back vs. Quitting
- health benefits only seen for quitting
- cutting back may been effective first step to ultimately quitting
- approved method of quitting in Europe but not US
Why could exercise help?
Exercise has positive effects on mood
- elevated mood/reduced anxiety
- reduced drug cravings
- withdrawl relief
Exercise increases self-efficacy/coping
- increased likelihood of quitting
Exercise may be a competitive behaviour to smoking and hence incompatible
Promotes healthy weight and may reduce post cessation weight concerns
Exercise has favourable effect on CUD risk profile