|
| Emphysema Life Expectancy |
Question:
What effects do smoking have in regards to emphysema and life expectancy?
Answer:
Most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer, but it can also
cause many other cancers and illnesses. Smoking kills around 114,000
people in the UK each year. Of these deaths, about 42,800 are from
smoking-related cancers, 30,600 from cardiovascular disease and 29,100
die slowly from emphysema and other chronic lung diseases.
Research has shown that smoking reduces life expectancy by seven to
eight years. On average, each cigarette shortens a smoker's life by around 11 minutes.
The number of people under the age of 70 who die from smoking-related
diseases exceeds the total figure for deaths caused by breast cancer,
AIDS, traffic accidents and drug addiction.
Non-smokers and ex-smokers can also look forward to a healthier old age
than smokers.
Smoking is the most common cause of COPD and is responsible for 80 per
cent of cases. It's estimated that 94 per cent of 20-a-day smokers have
some emphysema when the lungs are examined after death, while more than
90 per cent of non-smokers have little or none.
|
|
