India: Smoking Increasing

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 15 Nov 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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As smoking is registering a steady decline in western countries, experts estimate that it is increasing in India.

Dr K H Kisku, head of the department of pulmonary medicine said that the World Health Organisation has estimated that there were around 94 million smokers in India.

Among the 94 million smokers in India, 14 million were suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Dr Kisku said, on the eve of World COPD Day.

Smoking is the prime cause of COPD and the disease has been found to be the fourth leading cause of deaths, he added.

Asserting that COPD was curable, he said that one should quit smoking immediately and undergo treatment for getting better results.

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