If tobacco is banned now, there are estimates that suggest that 40 per cent of cancers among south Indian men will be wiped out completely. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has put the figure at one million or ten lakh deaths due to various ailments that are directly related to tobacco use. Inhaling tobacco smoke even once results in about 400 carcinogens entering the human body.
The above numbers are mind-numbing and as the World No Tobacco Day approaches, which May 31. More and more doctors agree that public health awareness is the best way forward to wean away addicts from tobacco.
“Tobacco is not just linked to cancers, it directly plays a role in all kinds of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. And, it’s not just neck, mouth or lung cancers, tobacco is also known to cause cervical cancers among women,” says founder, Omega Hospitals, Dr. Mohan Vamsy.
The addiction and impact of tobacco is such that India now has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the world. It is being estimated that there are over 20 million adolescents in the age group of 15 and 20 years who are addicted to some form of tobacco or pan masala in India.
“The extent of the carcinogenesis of tobacco can be gauged by the fact that even metabolites of tobacco, which are filtered by kidneys and accumulated in the urinary bladder, result in an increased incidence of kidney and bladder cancers among smokers. It is the rampant habit of tobacco-chewing which is responsible for the extremely high incidence of head and neck cancers in India, which is over a third of all cancers,” says Head and Neck Oncologist, Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Umanath Nayak.
“Nicotine in tobacco enters the brain very quickly, releases adrenaline and other chemicals and gives a person a buzz, the so-called ‘high’ and is quickly cleared from the system, which leaves a person a bit down and tired. This after-effect makes a person want to have that ‘high’ again and hence the repeated use. Also, because of the tolerance of the brain to nicotine, one would want a higher quantity to get to that high. This is a typical cycle leading to addiction,” explains Oncologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Dr. Chilkuri Srinivas.
Needless to say, tobacco addiction also has financial implications.
“There are specific Indian studies that have estimated the total cost for three major tobacco-related diseases (heart, respiratory and cancers) at 308.33 billion rupees ($ 6.6 billion). This amount far exceeds the government-generated revenue from tobacco and is almost one-fourth of India’s expenditure on health which is 25 billion. These figures exclude the cost burden on passive smokers, which would add to the existing health burden,” points out Director, Apollo Cancer Hospital. Dr. P. Vijayanand Reddy.
Reporting by
M. Sai Gopal
