‘India home to 12% of world’s smokers’

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, June 1

“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India is home to 12 per cent of the world’s smokers. There are approximately 120 million smokers in India and more than 10 million people die each year due to tobacco in India,” said Dr Suresh Goyal, senior consultant of pulmonary medicine at Ivy Hospital, in an online awareness session.

He said smoking affects almost all organs of the body. “It causes various types of cancer, like mouth, lungs, food pipe, kidney and pancreas etc. It leads to heart diseases, stroke, lung diseases (asthma and COPD) and various eye problems. There is an increased risk of gum disease, stained teeth and tooth loss. It also lowers the immune system and leads to increased incidence of pneumonia. Smoking increases risk of type 2 diabetes, decreases sense of smell and taste, causes bad breath and premature aging of the skin,” he said.

Dr Goyal further said tobacco by-products harm one’s appearance. Quitting smoking improves blood flow to your skin, increasing the amount of oxygen and nutrients that reaches the area.

“This directly gives you a healthier complexion and improves your appearance. Smoking increases anxiety and tension. Quitting can lower your blood pressure, heart rate, there will be less shortness of breath and can be a low risk of cancer.”

Moreover, smoking and Covid both target and damage your heart and lungs. Not only does smoking erode the lining of your lungs and leave it more vulnerable to infection, but it also hampers your body’s immune response during infection, said Dr Goyal.

Every puff of cigarette smoke delivers more than 7,000 chemicals to your lungs. Now imagine what adding Covid to the mix does, he said.

There is a strong association between smoking and increased severity of Covid symptoms in infected individuals. Smoking or using e-cigarettes around children compromises their health and safety. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, he asserted.