Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): In India, about 13.5 lakh deaths occur every year due to the consumption of tobacco products. Smoking can cause cancer in any part of the body, including the stomach, liver, mouth, tongue, kidney, penis and vulva. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, said National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) advisor Dr Naresh Purohit.
Sharing his concern with Free Press on the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day, Dr Purohit said that according to United Nations every year, more than 8 million people die as a result of smoking.
He averred that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recent report every year over 7 million deaths occur from the direct use of tobacco, while about 1.2 million deaths result from exposure to its smoke. According to WHO’s statistics, every year about 41,000 youth and about 400 children die due to direct or indirect exposure to tobacco smoke.
He further said that those people who are chronic chain smokers and those who are regularly exposed to passive smoking are at higher risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases. He averred that tobacco adversely affects the immune system and impairs lung function, making users more vulnerable to developing respiratory infections like colds, influenza, tuberculosis, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dr Purohit revealed that nicotine has an effect on both males and women’s vaginal blood flow. This can have a negative impact on men’s sexual performance. This might cause sexual unhappiness in women by reducing lubrication and the capacity to achieve orgasm. This may result in a decline in sexual desire between men and women.
He stated that diabetes tends to progress more rapidly in people who are addicted to smoking, because it increases the amount of insulin in the body. People who have diabetes and smoke are more prone to other illnesses such as kidney problems, high blood pressure, stress and anxiety.
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