KARACHI, May 29: A countrywide campaign involving all segments of society, against consumption of tobacco in one or the other form was stressed at a seminar organised by the Chest Medicine Department of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre here on Monday to mark the World Tobacco Day.
Addressing the seminar, JPMC Director Prof Mashoor Alam Shah made it explicitly clear that tobacco products either in the form of leaf or a by-product, was injurious to health.
Scientific evidences have established that exposure to tobacco smoke causes illness, disability or even death.
Prof. Javaid Khan, a consultant chest physician at the Aga Khan University, said that, at present, there were 1.3 billion smokers in the world and the death from tobacco consumption had reached the alarming level of five million a year.
If present consumption patterns continued to stay, the number may touch a mark close to 10 million by the year 2020, he said.
He described the habit of tobacco consumption as ‘epidemic’, saying it was growing fast in people, especially those of low- and middle-income countries where the tobacco industry had become a huge potential market.
It is the poor and the poorest that tend to smoke the most, according to Prof Khan, who pointed out that this was in a scenario where tobacco had a great economic impact. Its regular consumption leads to premature death that generally follows several years of illness.
Among the total number of smokers worldwide, 84 per cent, i.e. 1.09 billion, live in developing countries whereas in Pakistan, 54 per cent men and 20 per cent women use some form of tobacco on a regular basis.
He referred to a study conducted by the Pakistan Paediatric Association in 1997, and said that 1,000-1,200 school-going children in the age group of six-15 years take up smoking every day.
Regarding production, he said that the area under tobacco cultivation in Pakistan was said to be some 57,000 hectares to produce 109,000 tons annually. The cigarette production estimate is put at 51.5 billion sticks.
Prof Nadeem Rizvi, Head of the Chest Medicine Department of the JPMC said the list of conditions caused by tobacco consumption was lengthening. The use of tobacco was known to contribute to cataracts, pneumonia, tuberculosis and many other diseases.
Dr Nadeem Rizvi said the cited diseases join the familiar list of tobacco-induced lung cancer besides oncological complications links to vesicle, oesophagus, larynx, mouth and throat.
Chronic pulmonary disease, emphysema and bronchitis, stroke, heart attack and varied other cardiovascular diseases are attributed to tobacco use.
Tobacco causes 90 per cent of all lung cancers, Dr Rizvi said, reminding that it could also seriously damage reproductive system of a user.
Talking of the effects of tobacco smoke on environment, he said children with smoking parents are more likely to be afflicted with ear infection. Moreover, children with smoking parents are likely to have a lower IQ while the children suffering from asthma exposed to tobacco smoke within their homes are prone to get their condition severely aggravated.
The physician, in his presentation, said tobacco also contributed 20 per cent to 30 per cent causes of underweight births and 10 per cent of infant deaths.
Dr Mohammad Hussain, a consultant pulmonologist at the Liaquat National Hospital, in his presentation on ‘Benefits of Smoking Cessation’ said 20 minutes after discontinuing smoking, the blood pressure and pulse rate of smokers would also decreases while temperature of hand and feet would start normalizing. He said that 24 hours after the smoking cessation, chances for heart attack could reduce while senses of smelling and taste would get better within 48 hours. He said that heart and lung function would start showing improvement in three months after the patient would quit smoking.
Dr Shakil Ahmed Siddiqui of the Sindh Government Hospital Korangi said ‘bidi’ smoking had been registered to have higher instances of mortality and associated with threefold increase in the risk of oral cancer, compared to the people who did not smoke.
As for cigar smoking, he said the concerned smokers were prone to develop lung, oesophagus, larynx cancers as well as oral cavity.
Regarding oral use of tobacco, like chewing or keeping it in the mouth or nose, he said these could have higher chances head, neck, throat and oesophagus cancers, as well as serious oral and dental conditions.
Gutka and paan masala were found to have been causing submucous fibrosis, particularly among children and youth, Dr Siddiqui said.
Dr Qaiser Sajjad, General Secretary of the PMA, Karachi, in his presentation on the ‘Role of NGOs in Tobacco Elimination and Control’, said the PMA in its individual capacity and in coordination with other organizations, had created awareness through publicising the translation of relevant educational material for general public in Urdu and regional languages. Involving schools, health services, religious organisations and the consumer and other groups in a vigorous anti-tobacco campaign was also said to be part of the strategy to eliminate the culture of tobacco consumption.
Dr Shaheena Qayyum said World Tobacco Day offered an opportunity to people and organisations struggling against a menace that was exposing individual of all age groups to serious health risks.-—APP
