Posted on 10/17/2006 1:09:34 PM PDT by trumandogz
TUESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds that at least 1 in every 4 smokers will develop progressive and incurable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a much higher risk than previously believed.
COPD is a respiratory disease that results in blocked air flow to the lungs and grows progressively worse.
For this study, published online in the journal Thorax, researchers at Hvidovre Hospital analyzed data on 8,000 men and women, ages 30 to 60. All were monitored for 25 years as part of the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
At the start of the study, all the participants' lungs were healthy and working normally. However, over the course of the 25 years, the lungs of almost all the male non-smokers continued to function normally, compared to 60 percent of men who continued to smoke.
Among women, 90 percent of non-smokers still had healthy lungs at the end of 25 years, compared to 70 percent of smokers.
Overall, 25 percent of the participants developed moderate or severe COPD over the 25 years. Persistent smokers were six times more likely to develop COPD than non-smokers.
During the 25 years, there were 2,900 deaths in the study group. Of those deaths, 109 were directly attributable to COPD, and nearly all those deaths were in people who were active smokers at the start of the study. Only two non-smokers died of COPD.
The study also found a sharp decline in the risk of COPD among people who stopped smoking soon after the start of the study. Over the 25 years, none of these ex-smokers developed severe COPD.
Idiot.
I say ; "anyone born after 1960 should not be eligible for any medical subsistance related to nicotine if they CHOOSE to kill themselves after all the publicity smoking has gotten over the years."
Probably low testosterone or no real male influence in their formative years.
Someone should do a study.
"On the other hand, I'm going to be buying a really nice new car soon.I have my own personal relationship with a few COPDers. I take care of them, and I make a good living."
I'll keep smoking to ensure your economic future.
They were human lungs, seeing as they were removed from one of the two bodies that we are storing in our cadaver room. We also removed the old ladies heart last week and it was not in good shape either. That was a pretty amusing assumption, though Gabz, thanks for the laugh.
"Yes, but 25% will DIE. In 'meat & potato' terms....1 IN 4 WILL DIE THAT SMOKE."
So, 3 of 4 will live forever?
"So, 3 of 4 will live forever?"
You know it.
Anyway, CSM, who in the hell would want to live forever, and be subjected to this screeching for eternity?
I'll bet even the devil would go insane having to listen to these people constantly.
"I just examined a smoker's lung in Anatomy this week. Very yucky, full of dark plaques, very hard to the touch compared to a healthy lung."
What is really weird is that you found ANY human lung easier to "touch." Are you studying anatomy as a medical degree program? If so, is your expectation that you future patients will only be healthy?
No hate. Certainly not for the individuals. I hate smoking and smoke; butts and ashes but not the people.
Interesting such an assumption was made about me.
Scripture also exhorts to judge behavior of believers. And to be discerning.
But, it's kind of like judging whether a light switch is on or off at midnight. Kind of obvious. No real critical judgment involved.
Smoking is a dirty, filthy, offensive, selfish habit. Plain and simple.
Rationalizations about it don't change the basic facts.
"You could put a bullet into the chamber of a revolver, spin the chamber, cock the hammer and pull the trigger, and you'd still be making a healthier choice than you sorry bunch of consumptive addicts."
That is the singlest most ignorant post I have ever read on FR. Scratch that, it is the single most ignorant post I have ever read on either FR or DU. And that includes the Trolls.
Probably low testosterone or no real male influence in their formative years.
Someone should do a study.
= = = =
You could well be right . . . perhaps a flavor of reaction formation against internal emotional nutlessness? Could be.
I've always felt that the way most smokers hold their ciggies is very close to the way the same folks hold their middle finger aloft on occasion. And their nonverbal face and head movements are also quite similar--kind of a "I dare you to make something of it! ___ yours!" sort of attitude. We see a lot of that sort of attitude on such threads as these. All in the sweetest tones, of course. NOT!
Certainly there's an element of that in the crass rudeness of the way MANY [thankfully not all] smokers behave with their smoking in public places.
Riddle me this, why is the highest per capita smoking population in the world also the lowest per capita heart and lung disease incidence population in the world?
Yes but three in four won't. Let's look at the bright side of life please.
"You're God-damn right I am."
Since when is it acceptable to take the Lord's name in vein on FR? It is even worse that you are proud of your attitude.
"engage in a dirty, offensive, smelly, dangerous-to-others; selfish-to-loved-ones habit.
BTW, I may or may not respond to shrill smokers' responses. Been there, done that."
When you post shrill or attacking posts you should expect responses that are shrill or attacking. That you don't shows what type of person you are. Of course, that is the typical mind set of judgemental, better than thou folks.
3/4 of smokers will not get COPD. Instead, they'll get lung cancer, emphysema, smoking-related heart disease or stroke, breast cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancer, or any one of dozens of other ailments that have been conclusively linked to smoking.
Do you have factual data supporting your statement that 1/4 of smokers will not get COPD..but will get the things you listed?
I believe I understand what you are trying to say...but statistically IMO, the way you have stated it...it's unsupportable.
FWIW-
"If your lungs are coated with tar from smoking, they just don't become uncoated 25 years later. You still have large amounts of carcinogens in you, and they can cause cell damage at any time."
That's not what your co-horts at the quit smoking sites tell us. Are you with them or not? Could you folks please keep your stories straight.
As a child of the 60s, I always found it humorous that most of the hippies who were all for "ecology" were also smoking tobacco, weed, and Lord knows what else....LOL
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