Physician focuses on real threats of smoking

Speaking at a medical symposium, Dr. Hsu Cheng-yuan of the General Veterans Hospital/Taichung said the current statistics compiled by the Department of Health (DOH) have failed to present a true picture and the real threats posed by COPD.

The DOH figures put COPD as the 11th major cause of death in 2002, taking 1,582 lives on the island.

However, the DOH statistics covered only chronic bronchitis and emphysema case, without including the cases combining the two diseases. This could mislead cigarette smokers to brush aside the real threats from smoking.

The actual number of cases could reach 5,62 when combining the two lung diseases in advanced nations like the United States.

Hsu said that the extent of the impact of COPD Taiwan is having special toll on people who start smoking at younger age.

Most heavy smokers will have coughing problems at around age 40 and the condition will deteriorate to difficulty in airflow and the reduction of oxygen when breathing.

Many patients will have to rely on respiratory equipment while most hospitals face acute shortage of such equipment in winter season, Hsu pointed out.

He said that the cigarette prices in Taiwan are even lower than those in mainland China. Price hikes can be an effective way to reduce smoking.

Medical experts said that the term COPD refers to the two lung diseases — chronic bronchitis and emphysema — that are characterized by obstruction to airflow that interferes with normal breathing.

Both of these conditions frequently coexist, hence physicians prefer the term COPD. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming the lives of 120,000 Americans in 2002.

Smoking is the primary risk factor for COPD. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of COPD deaths are caused by smoking. Female smokers are nearly 13 times as likely to die from COPD as women who have never smoked. Male smokers are nearly 12 times as likely to die from COPD as men who have never smoked.

Other risk factors of COPD include air pollution, second-hand smoke, history of childhood respiratory infections and heredity. Occupational exposure to certain industrial pollutants also increases the odds for COPD.

In the U.S., women have exceeded men in the number of deaths attributable to COPD since 2000.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email