QUIT SMOKING
According to the Centers for Disease Control smoking is directly responsible for about 443,000 deaths annually in the United States. To put that in perspective, that is the population of Colorado Springs, the town I grew up in. It's hard to imagine that in one year smoking kills an entire city of people but that is the fact.
When most smokers hear of the potential of death and disease associated with smoking it only causes you to smoke more cigarettes. It's a natural reaction of a smoker to smoke when they face fear. For that reason I do not intend to litter this site with a lot of doom and gloom about smoking. If you are not aware of the health risks associated with smoking by now your probably not interested in learning about them.
TOP 10 REASONS TO QUIT SMOKING
TOP 10 REASONS TO QUIT SMOKING
But I would be remiss if I didn't include some hard facts on the potential dangers of smoking on this blog. Below is information on deaths from smoking in the United States according to the CDC. Most people only think of lung cancer as a potential health issue but there are many other ways that smoking can kill.
| Disease | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| *In this table, deaths due to secondhand smoke and fire burn are not included. | |||
| Malignant Neoplasms (Cancer) | |||
| Lip, Oral Cavity, Pharynx | 3,749 | 1,144 | 4,893 |
| Esophagus | 6,961 | 1,631 | 8,592 |
| Stomach | 1,900 | 584 | 2,484 |
| Pancreas | 3,147 | 3,536 | 6,683 |
| Larynx | 2,446 | 563 | 3,009 |
| Trachea, Lung, Bronchus | 78,680 | 46,842 | 125,522 |
| Cervix Uteri | 0 | 447 | 447 |
| Kidney and Renal Pelvis | 2,827 | 216 | 3,043 |
| Urinary Bladder | 3,907 | 1,076 | 4,983 |
| Acute Myeloid Leukemia | 855 | 337 | 1,192 |
| Subtotal | 104,472 | 56,376 | 160,848 |
| Cardiovascular Diseases | |||
| Ischemic Heart Disease | 50,884 | 29,121 | 80,005 |
| Other Heart Disease | 12,994 | 8,060 | 21,004 |
| Cerebrovascular Disease | 7,896 | 8,026 | 15,922 |
| Atherosclerosis | 1,282 | 611 | 1,893 |
| Aortic Aneurysm | 5,628 | 2,791 | 8,419 |
| Other Arterial Disease | 505 | 749 | 1,254 |
| Subtotal | 79,139 | 49,358 | 128,497 |
| Respiratory Diseases | |||
| Pneumonia, Influenza | 6,042 | 4,381 | 10,423 |
| Bronchitis, Emphysema | 7,536 | 6,391 | 13,927 |
| Chronic Airway Obstruction | 40,217 | 38,771 | 78,988 |
| Subtotal | 53,795 | 49,543 | 103,338 |
| Grand Total | 237,406 | 155,277 | 392,683 |
1- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses—United States, 2000–2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2008;57(45):1226–8 [accessed 2011 Mar 11].
