Lung Patients Still Smoking!

We probably all know someone with a chronic lung condition who smokes in spite of numerous recommendations and efforts to stop. The usual disease is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

COPD affects over 13.5 million Americans, and is the fourth leading cause of death in the USA. A new survey reported in the American Journal of Health Promotion states that over 36% of people with COPD smoke, compared with 22% of adults without COPD. The close link between smoking and COPD means it’s important for patients to give up – and last year over half made the attempt; only15% succeeded. But, equally seriously, almost a quarter of them reported that they hadn’t been given advice on stopping from a healthcare professional in that time period.

It looks as if the message isn’t being given often enough, or adequately, or is being ignored. Or that stopping is harder to do for COPD patients than for others.

The survey also revealed that stopping cold-turkey was the most common method used, followed by the nicotine patch. More young people tried to stop, but more old patients succeeded; of course by that time, most of the damage has been done. We need to find new ways of helping these patients stop smoking early in their disease, when the prognosis can be greatly improved. And the physician should pay attention to the emotional aspects of the disease, too.

Commercial break:  Smoking is not the only way to become afflicted with lung cancer. Many people have developed pericardial mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure. If you have this disease, you may want to speak with a mesothelioma attorney to find out about your rights.