30 of smokers would like to quit smoking

-smoking is the main problem of society health and health resource-intensive

-specialists consider that one of the best ways to quit smoking is through nicotine replacement therapies

-having a correct diagnosis and have appropriate treatment is essential to quit smoking. Only this can increase the effectiveness of abandonment until 5 or 6 times more

Madrid, December of 2012- in Spain more than 11 million people are smokers, which is more than 20% of the population smokes. The total number of smokers, 30% would like to quit smoking.

The prevalence of smoking in Spain has increased 0.5 per cent despite the entry into force in 2010 of the anti-tobacco law (42/2010) ”, argues Dr. Juan Antonio Riesco, pulmonologist expert in smoking and Vice President of the Spanish society of Pneumology and thoracic surgery (SEPAR)referring to recent studies by SEPAR.

Smoking is the main problem of society health and health resource-intensive. According to different studies, treatments for quitting smoking represent an optimal relationship between cost and benefit. In this sense, Dr. Riesco emphasizes the importance that the patient has with a diagnosis right accompanied by proper treatment, since this may increase the effectiveness of abandonment until 5 or 6 times more than if the patient makes it on their own ”.

In this context, the specialist asserts that healthier decision that a smoker can take in his life is to abandon the consumption of cigarettes, regardless of age. When a smoker is willing to make a serious attempt to quit, should receive all possible assistance by a health care professional to succeed in its bid since it is the best thing for your health ”, explains Dr. Riesco.

In Spain, tobacco claims more than 50,000 lives per year and is regarded as a cardiovascular risk factor key due to its high impact in the development of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction. In addition, it is also one of the causes which increases the chances of developing cancer.

The only causal factor of the development of the disease chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD), in Spain, is tobacco, which is also one of the causes that increases the chances of developing cancer or suffer a heart attack or other cardiovascular diseases.

When we talk about tobacco cessation, the expert says that is necessary to distinguish between the healthy general population and the population who have a disease, that is which is usually quit for risk and co-morbidities ”. However, in recent years there has been an increase of knowledge by the general population of the impact of tobacco on health and there has been a greater degree of involvement of health professionals in addressing tobacco use.

We could say there is a greater degree of derivation of people with respiratory diseases to smoking queries, but we have not observed that the healthy general population have greater motivation to quit ”, underlines Dr. Riesco. Even so, anyone who wants to quit, can do so through the health care system. Is usually through the physician primary care (AP) which can make the approach and diagnosis of the problem, but that can also derive the patient to monographic consultations of smoking ”, adds specialist.

For smokers quit the habit isn’t easy. Even when there is will for its part, the treatments are necessary and help the patient in a process that is psychologically complicated by certain barriers: as the abstinence syndrome, caused by the descent of nicotine in blood and causing sleep, irritability, lack of concentration and anxiety disorders.

In terms of abstinence, the expert confirms that the manifestations of this syndrome are the most frequent cause of relapse in smokers who make an attempt to neglect. In this way, specialists consider that one of the best ways to quit smoking is through nicotine replacement therapies.

Relationship of smoking with certain diseases

The relationship of smoking with certain respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as oncological is evident. Today, in Spain, the only causal factor in the development of diseases such as the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the tobacco ”, says Dr. Riesco. In the case of asthma, tobacco is an enabling element for your development ”. Both COPD and asthma, smoking interferes with diagnosis, survival and response to the treatment of patients.

Dr. Riesco also claims that, in relation to the occasional smokers, any exposure by minimum that is is a risk for the development of respiratory pathologies or other ”.

In this context, scholars argue that there is also a clear relationship between passive smoking and cardiovascular disease, cancer, especially lung and chronic respiratory symptoms. Also noteworthy is the case of pregnant women, who are at more risk because the newborn can present alterations at birth ”, clarifies the specialist.