Fact Sheet 2 - Smoking and Diseases

Smoking and disease

 

Smoking harms almost every organ in the body, and in New Zealand it is responsible for nearly 5,000 deaths per annum ¹.

Since 1950, over 170,000 people in New Zealand have died as a direct consequence of smoking ².

Tobacco use is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of death globally. This includes Ischemic heart disease, Cardiovascular disease, Lower respiratory infections, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Tuberculosis and lung cancer ³.

At least 50% of all regular cigarette smokers will eventually be killed by their addiction. On average they will lose 14 years of quality life ⁴.

Tobacco use is the single biggest preventable cause of death in the world ⁵ as well as New Zealand ⁶.

The main causes of smoking deaths per year in New Zealand ⁷ are:

• Cancer - 1,700 people
• Vascular disease - 1,100 people
• Respiratory disease - 1,100 people
• Other - 400 people

Maori experience a 10% greater mortality rate from smoking and non-Maori ⁸

Each year, 22% of deaths in Maori men and 21% of deaths in Maori women are attributable to smoking ⁹.

Cancer

• Smoking causes one in four of all cancer deaths in New Zealand. As well as lung cancer, other cancers linked to smoking include bladder cancer, leukaemia, liver cancer, cancers of the pancreas, kidney, mouth, lip, throat and stomach ¹⁰. Around 90% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking ¹¹.
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths for Maori men. Maori are three times more likely than Non-Maori to die from lung cancer ¹².

Vascular Disease

• Smoking increases the likelihood of vascular diseases including stroke, heart disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm and subclinical astherosclerosis ¹³.
• Worldwide, around 17% of deaths from heart disease are caused by smoking ¹⁴.
• In New Zealand, many deaths from vascular diseases could be preventable if smoking was eliminated. This includes 18% of male deaths and 11% of female deaths due to heart diseases and 15% of male deaths and 8% of female deaths due to strokes.

Respiratory Disease

• About 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking ¹⁵.
• In New Zealand, 79% of male deaths and 65% of female deaths are due to Chronic obstructive respiratory diseases.

Other

• 1,300 New Zealanders have untreatable blindness due to smoking ¹⁶.
• Smoking poses adverse reproductive effects and early childhood effects which included increased risk of infertility, preterm delivery and stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) ¹⁷. Maternal smoking is a preventable risk factor for SIDS death.
• 46% of SIDS deaths in Maori and 24% in European/other were attributable to smoking ¹⁸.
• Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked. Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than never smokers.

 

Sources:

^{1-2, 4-5, 7, 9} Peto R, et. al. 2006. Mortality from smoking in developed countries 1950-2000 (2nd edition, 2nd edition, revised June 2006: www.deathsfromsmoking.net). Geneva: Switzerland: International Union Against Cancer (UICC).
³ WHO. 2008. WHO. REPORT ON THE Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008: The MPOWER package. Geneva: World Health Organization.
^{6, 18} Ministry of Health. 1999. Taking the Pulse: the 1996/97 New Zealand Health Survey. Wellington: New Zealand.
⁸ Ministry of Health. 1999. Our Health, Our Future: Hauora Pakari, Koiora Roa: The Health of New Zealanders 1999. Wellington. Ministry of Health.
¹⁰ Laugesen, M. 2000. Tobacco Statistics 2000. Wellington: Cancer Society of New Zealand.
^{11, 14-15, 17} U.S Department of Health and Human Services. 2004. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health.
¹² Robson B, Harria Re. 2007. Hauora: maori Standards of Health IV. A study f the years 2000-2005. Wellington: Te Ropu Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pomare.
¹³ The John Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Pan American Health Organization of WHO. Smoking and Health (PowerPoint).
¹⁶ Wilson G, Field A, Wilson N. 2001. Smoke gets in your eyes: smoking and visual impairment in New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal 114:471-4.