Everyone knows that tobacco is bad for your health and that it increases the risk of suffering from very serious diseases such as cancer or heart problems. However, the number of regular smokers continues to be very high and bans on smoking in public spaces have not managed to eradicate this bad habit. In Spain, a third of the population smokes daily according to a survey carried out by the Ministry of Health.
Smoking has become, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the main cause of premature death in the world. This addictive disease causes almost 70,000 deaths annually in Spain. Furthermore, the aforementioned Ministry survey warns of an increase of almost one point (33% in 2022 compared to 32.1% in 2020) in the number of smokers. Extremadura and the Valencian Community are leaders in percentage of smoking population, with 43.3% and 42.3%, respectively. Castilla-La Mancha (36.8%), Murcia (36.6%) and the Canary Islands (35.7%) also appear in this negative ranking. On the positive side of the list we find Melilla (12.8%), the Balearic Islands (27.5%) and the Basque Country (28.1%).
This panorama is not exclusive to Spain. In the United States, for example, almost half of smokers will die from tobacco and almost half a million people die annually from diseases related to tobacco use, which means it causes one in every five deaths in the country. Smoking kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, AIDS, guns, and illegal drugs combined. It is estimated that smoking shortens the life of men by about twelve years and that of women by about eleven, according to data from the American Cancer Society (ACS).
This same institution warns that tobacco causes approximately 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States, including about 80% of lung cancer deaths, which is the leading cause of cancer death and one of the most difficult. to treat. This bad habit not only increases the risk of lung cancer, but is also a risk factor for cancers of the mouth, larynx, kidney, esophagus, liver, pancreas, stomach and cervix, mainly.
Regular smoking causes damage to the heart and cardiovascular system and increases the risk of heart disease or stroke. It is a major cause of coronary heart disease and can lead to a heart attack. In addition, it causes blood pressure to rise, reduces the presence of good cholesterol and facilitates blood clotting.
