By Muhammad Sani A Kanya
GLOBALLY about 12 million people die of respiratory tract
and other diseases that are directly linked to cigarette smoking every year,
according to official figures released by World Health Organisation (WHO)
based in the Swiss city of Geneva. Despite consistent public health
enlightenment campaign by the UN health body in collaboration with public
health authorities of respective member nations the ugly trend persists
partly due to aggressive sales and promotion campaigns of the powerful
cigarettes manufacturing companies directed to unsuspecting consumers in the
developing countries which proved readily available soft target in the
absence of tough legislative control.
The most worrying aspect of problem is that a significant
proportion of the figure was accounted for by the passive smokers who were
exposed to the tobacco smoke indirectly, by frequent socializing with
smokers.
Specialists at tobacco induced respiratory diseases of
global authority like the former WHO Director-General Dr. Gro Harlem
Brutland, had long it as global public health emergency requiring serious
control measure. The former DG- a Norwegian by nationality had aimed at
controlling major killer diseases threatening humanity with emphasis,
specifically on tobacco smoke which she dubbed as killer disease
preventable.
But with tough regimes in place by governments of some
developed countries like the EU which severely restricts activity of the
indigenous tobacco companies by outright ban on public advertisement among
other measures, the situation was focused to improve in the near future by
experts.
Latest clinical studies on the injurious effect of
smoking discovered fresh risk factory of the addictive habit in addition to
traditional risks identified in the past.
The fresh risks currently identified by medical experts
includes:
A. Cancer of the cervix
A malignant disease of the cervical region which is one
of the structures of female internal genitalia. It wildly spreads (metastabises)
to the uterus thereby resulting in permanent sterility of the patient.
Surgical removal of the womb (hysterectomy) is the most
effective cure with intensive chemo and radiotherapy being the first line of
treatment.
B. Cancer of the stomach
A malignant disease of gastric mucosa that manifest as
tumorous growth of tissues of the vital digestive organ among other symptoms
chronic clinical unmanaged gastric ulcer is one of the classical high risk
factor gastrectomy which is the surgical removal of the organ is an
effective treatment modality.
C: Cancer of the vocal box
Malignant growth of tissues of the vital speech organ of
the throat that plays vital role in articulation resulting a poenia a
characteristic loss of vocal sound which is one of the classical symptoms.
Intensive chemo and radiotheraphy are the effective traditional management.
D: Cataract
A chronic disease of the eye in which the corneal layer
is dotted by some opaque depalt materials preventing light ray from being
reflected on to the retina ban integral part of the mechanism of seeing in
the special sense organ. Deprived of light rays the tissues of retina at the
back of the eye from where the ray is conveyed to the associated regions of
the brain for subsequent seeing become irreversibly damaged resulting into
blindness.
Old Risk factors:
These were the classical risk factors identified long in
the past by specialists of tobacco induced disease which includes:
i. Cancer of the lung.
Malignant growth of lung tissues stemising from
persistently irritating effects of obnoxious substances of tobacco smoke
like hydrogen cyanide and nicotine. It does account for greater proportion
of fatalities of respiratory tract diseases.
ii. Coronary Heart disease
A leading killer disease induced by chronic tobacco
smoking with arterioschelerosis (handening of artery) and artheroschelerosis
(clot formation of blood in the arterial luma) being primary risk factors
triggering inflammatory process which in turn precipitates heart attack.
iii. Embroyonic Deformity
Persistent evidence from previous clinical studies of
reproductive and developmental biology linked some forms of physical and
mental deformity of developing embryo to heavy smoking habit of prospective
conceiving mothers.
iii. Increased risk of premature abortion significant
proportion of incidences of spontaneous abortion which is the sudden
automatic termination of partial term pregnancy has been linked to tobacco
smoke so also was low birth weight of the newly born babies as well as
possibly Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Tips for quitting smoking
Experts had long recommended some key workable procedures
which had remarkable stood the test of time in facilitating stoppage of
smoking among teeming addicts.
Among the digestible tips are the following:
" Take a resolute decision on a date to quit.
" Fix the regular times to puff away
" Consume a suitably substitute product like nicotine
chewing gum or coffee candy on feeling the crave to smoke.
" Avoid indiscriminatory socializing with addict smokers
" Organise with like minded smokers wishing to kick the
habit into social forum and network for information, advice and support
regarding the habit.
" Regular consultation of medical specialists for
additional advice and guide.
Muhd. Sani A Kunya resides in Kano
