Over 50,000 tobacco users reach PIMS with heart, lung problems in one year

Islamabad

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences received not less than 50,000 tobacco users with heart and lungs diseases in last one year and the number is continuously on the rise.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Monday reveals that the PIMS department of pulmonology receives 200 to 250 patients daily on average with various lungs problems of which nearly 50 per cent are found to be tobacco addicted while the rest are patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The PIMS cardiac centre received nearly 43,000 patients last year of which well over 50 per cent were found to be cigarette smokers. It was also observed that the PIMS received an estimated 15 per cent more patients — both male and female — with the history of tobacco use in last one year as compared to the tobacco using patients in the previous year.

The number of tobacco using patients reaching PIMS with lungs and heart problems along with a number of other ailments including stomach problems is continuously on the rise and there is a need to create awareness among public on hazards, the tobacco use poses, said Deputy Director at PIMS Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’ on Monday in connection with World No Tobacco Day being observed on Tuesday (today) around the globe.

He said on average, five to 10 tobacco addicts are admitted to pulmonology ward with serious complications of tobacco use daily while seven to 10 tobacco addicts land in Coronary Care Unit of the hospital every day.

He added that well over 40 per cent patients who suffer myocardial infarction or heart attack have been found to be tobacco users.

He said smoking continues to increase in many developing countries including Pakistan particularly among women and adolescents. Cigarette smoke contains potent carcinogens. Dangers of Cigarette smoking are lungs cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, carcinoma of esophagus, heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and bladder cancer.

To a query, Dr. Khawaja said maternal smoking causes decrease in birth weight of a baby and increases chances of fetal and neonate mortality. Passive smoking increases risk of asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis in infants of smoking parents, he said.

He said Pakistan needs to adopt models of those developed countries where habit of smoking has shown a downward trend in last few decades. Quoting studies, he said in 1974, 51 per cent of men and 41 per cent of women were smoking cigarette in UK that amounts to nearly half of the UK’s total population. Now 22 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women aged 16 years and above smoke in the UK, he said.

He said the highest rates of cigarette smoking are in Greece and Russia along with parts of Eastern Europe. In global terms, the USA ranks 30th and UK is down to 65 which is close to the rates in Sweden and Malaysia and models being adopted by these countries should be followed by Pakistan, said Dr. Khawaja.