Nicotine replacement therapy gaining popularity

‘World No Tobacco Day’ was observed on Thursday with a call to quit smoking and tobacco consumption. The alarming thing is that youngsters are picking up the habit in their early teens and getting addicted to nicotine. The positive development is that Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is now getting popular and helps those who decide to quit smoking once and for all.

The incidence of chewing tobacco is on the rise and one can see autorickshaw drivers, motorcyclists, lorry drivers and other splitting the ‘pan masala’ pouch, hold it high and empty the contents into the mouth in style even as they are on the move.

Tobacco kills 50 % of users, 6 million a year globally, of whom 1/6th are in India.

“Tobacco causes lung cancer, oral cancer, throat, esophageal, Cervical and breast cancer apart from pneumonia, asthma, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disorders, gangrene of limbs, renal disorders, hypertension, impotence in 85 per cent of male smokers and abortions, premature births and other problems in women smokers”, says Dr. Murali Krishna Voona, MD of Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital and Research Institute.

“NRT gums, patches, inhalers and sprays are used in Nicotine Replacement Therapy to enable smokers to give up smoking. NRT increases the chances of smokers giving up smoking by 50 to 70 per cent,” says Dr. Phanendranadh Reddy of Pinnacle Hospital.

B. Madhu Gopal