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Tobacco-related illnesses take a toll on Klamath
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman Dr. Ralph Eccles looks over an X-ray of human lungs Friday at Cascades East Family Practice. Tobacco-related illnesses help make Klamath County one of the unhealthiest places in the state. |
By STEVE KADEL
H&N Staff Writer
Cigarette smoking leads to many diseases, not just lung cancer.
“Most people who smoke don’t die of lung cancer, but from other tobacco-related disease,” said Dr. Ralph Eccles of Cascades East Family Practice Center.
He said smoking can double or triple the risk of stroke and heart attack. Smoking also causes stomach and bladder cancer, and doubles the risk of breast cancer, he said.
Also, amputation among diabetics is three times more common in smokers than nonsmokers.
However, Eccles said most of those who die from smoking have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — either emphysema or bronchitis.
A healthy lung’s tissues laid flat would cover a football field, Eccles said. But in someone with COPD, that tissue would only cover from the goal line to the 20-yard line, he said.
“Imagine trying to breathe through a soda straw,” Eccles said.
The smoke blocks air sacks in the lungs, making them unable to work.
As for smokers, Eccles said it takes two full minutes from the time they take a last puff until they stop exhaling smoke.
The doctor favors tougher regulations on smoking, such as prohibiting it in downtown Klamath Falls and a county tax on tobacco. He said cigarette smoke is 20 to 100 times worse than polluted air.
Secondhand smoke dangers
Secondhand smoke is dangerous, too. Eccles said one smoker in a three-bedroom house can cause pollution levels three to five times more serious than air stagnation.
“The kids would actually be better off playing outside in polluted air,” he said. “Secondhand smoke is the leading cause of asthma and ear infections in children.”
Those who quit smoking before age 40 can reverse the harmful effects by up to 90 percent in two years, Eccles said. He believes the percentage of Klamath County adults who smoke is about 30 percent — higher than the 24 percent reported by the state Department of Human Resources.
Smoking and education
Eccles also said the prevalence of smoking is related to the level of education. He said 40 percent of high school dropouts smoke, compared with 15 percent of college graduates and 6 percent of people with advanced degrees.
“It is related to how well you do in school,” he said. “The ones who are smoking are the ones rebelling.”
Dr. Sean Dow, a Klamath Falls pulmonologist, agreed that lung cancer isn’t the biggest threat to smokers.
“Cancer is what everyone thinks about, but strokes and heart attacks are more prevalent,” he said.
Dow also said people can get cancer of the mouth, voice box (larynx) or esophagus.
“If you look at all the chemicals and nasty things in cigarettes, you wonder how anyone can get away with it,” he said.
Medications, treatments
He called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease “a devastating disease” that destroys the elasticity of the lungs.
“Your brain is screaming to let a breath out, but you can’t,” Dow said. “We get some people down to the last 15 to 20 percent of their lung capacity.”
There are medications to lessen the symptoms of emphysema, he said, but they will do no more than modest improvement in breathing ability.
A healthy set of lungs should last until a person is 120 years old, Dow said.
Genetics plays a part in determining who gets the disease, although Dow said women are more susceptible to the negative effects of smoking than men are.
He has changed his mind about the effects of secondhand smoke, and now believes it causes illnesses. The doctor said there’s one rule to operate by: “The more you smoke, the greater your risk.”
Dr. Gabe Mayland of Klamath Open Door Family Practice noted that lip and tongue cancer also is possible, especially among those who chew smokeless tobacco or smoke a pipe. Like the other physicians, the most common smoking-related disease he sees is emphysema.
He, too, blames secondhand smoke for illnesses.
“Smoke is smoke, whether it’s from your cigarette or someone else’s,” Mayland said. “It’s all not good for you. We see people who have emphysema but don’t smoke.”
He said there are hundreds of chemicals in cigarettes in addition to nicotine and tar, and it’s difficult to tell just which chemical causes the problem.
Mayland added that cancers resulting from smoking may be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, or sometimes radiation treatment. The treatment for emphysema is abstaining from smoking, he said. But otherwise, the disease is progressive.
Tobacco use in Klamath County
Tobacco use is one of eight health risks in which Klamath County residents exceed the state average. According to a 2007 report by the state Department of Human Services:
• Twenty-four percent of Klamath County adults smoke cigarettes compared with 20 percent of adults statewide.
• Twenty-one percent of babies born in Klamath County were born to women who smoked while pregnant, compared with the state average of 12 percent.
• An average of 179 people die from tobacco use each year in Klamath County.
• More than $28 million is spent annually for medical care of tobacco-related diseases in Klamath County.
Tobacco use by local youths
Tobacco use among Klamath County youths surpasses the state average, according to the state Department of Human Services. The agency said in a 2007 report:
• Ten percent of Klamath County eighth-graders smoked cigarettes, compared with 9 percent statewide.
• Twenty-one percent of Klamath County 11th-graders smoked cigarettes, compared with 17 percent statewide.
• Nine percent of Klamath County eighth-grade males chewed smokeless tobacco, compared with 5 percent statewide.
• Nineteen percent of Klamath County 11th grade males chewed smokeless tobacco compared, with 12 percent statewide.
“Most people who smoke don’t die of lung cancer, but from other tobacco-related disease,” said Dr. Ralph Eccles of Cascades East Family Practice Center.
He said smoking can double or triple the risk of stroke and heart attack. Smoking also causes stomach and bladder cancer, and doubles the risk of breast cancer, he said.
Also, amputation among diabetics is three times more common in smokers than nonsmokers.
However, Eccles said most of those who die from smoking have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — either emphysema or bronchitis.
A healthy lung’s tissues laid flat would cover a football field, Eccles said. But in someone with COPD, that tissue would only cover from the goal line to the 20-yard line, he said.
“Imagine trying to breathe through a soda straw,” Eccles said.
The smoke blocks air sacks in the lungs, making them unable to work.
As for smokers, Eccles said it takes two full minutes from the time they take a last puff until they stop exhaling smoke.
The doctor favors tougher regulations on smoking, such as prohibiting it in downtown Klamath Falls and a county tax on tobacco. He said cigarette smoke is 20 to 100 times worse than polluted air.
Secondhand smoke dangers
Secondhand smoke is dangerous, too. Eccles said one smoker in a three-bedroom house can cause pollution levels three to five times more serious than air stagnation.
“The kids would actually be better off playing outside in polluted air,” he said. “Secondhand smoke is the leading cause of asthma and ear infections in children.”
Those who quit smoking before age 40 can reverse the harmful effects by up to 90 percent in two years, Eccles said. He believes the percentage of Klamath County adults who smoke is about 30 percent — higher than the 24 percent reported by the state Department of Human Resources.
Smoking and education
Eccles also said the prevalence of smoking is related to the level of education. He said 40 percent of high school dropouts smoke, compared with 15 percent of college graduates and 6 percent of people with advanced degrees.
“It is related to how well you do in school,” he said. “The ones who are smoking are the ones rebelling.”
Dr. Sean Dow, a Klamath Falls pulmonologist, agreed that lung cancer isn’t the biggest threat to smokers.
“Cancer is what everyone thinks about, but strokes and heart attacks are more prevalent,” he said.
Dow also said people can get cancer of the mouth, voice box (larynx) or esophagus.
“If you look at all the chemicals and nasty things in cigarettes, you wonder how anyone can get away with it,” he said.
Medications, treatments
He called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease “a devastating disease” that destroys the elasticity of the lungs.
“Your brain is screaming to let a breath out, but you can’t,” Dow said. “We get some people down to the last 15 to 20 percent of their lung capacity.”
There are medications to lessen the symptoms of emphysema, he said, but they will do no more than modest improvement in breathing ability.
A healthy set of lungs should last until a person is 120 years old, Dow said.
Genetics plays a part in determining who gets the disease, although Dow said women are more susceptible to the negative effects of smoking than men are.
He has changed his mind about the effects of secondhand smoke, and now believes it causes illnesses. The doctor said there’s one rule to operate by: “The more you smoke, the greater your risk.”
Dr. Gabe Mayland of Klamath Open Door Family Practice noted that lip and tongue cancer also is possible, especially among those who chew smokeless tobacco or smoke a pipe. Like the other physicians, the most common smoking-related disease he sees is emphysema.
He, too, blames secondhand smoke for illnesses.
“Smoke is smoke, whether it’s from your cigarette or someone else’s,” Mayland said. “It’s all not good for you. We see people who have emphysema but don’t smoke.”
He said there are hundreds of chemicals in cigarettes in addition to nicotine and tar, and it’s difficult to tell just which chemical causes the problem.
Mayland added that cancers resulting from smoking may be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, or sometimes radiation treatment. The treatment for emphysema is abstaining from smoking, he said. But otherwise, the disease is progressive.
Tobacco use in Klamath County
Tobacco use is one of eight health risks in which Klamath County residents exceed the state average. According to a 2007 report by the state Department of Human Services:
• Twenty-four percent of Klamath County adults smoke cigarettes compared with 20 percent of adults statewide.
• Twenty-one percent of babies born in Klamath County were born to women who smoked while pregnant, compared with the state average of 12 percent.
• An average of 179 people die from tobacco use each year in Klamath County.
• More than $28 million is spent annually for medical care of tobacco-related diseases in Klamath County.
Tobacco use by local youths
Tobacco use among Klamath County youths surpasses the state average, according to the state Department of Human Services. The agency said in a 2007 report:
• Ten percent of Klamath County eighth-graders smoked cigarettes, compared with 9 percent statewide.
• Twenty-one percent of Klamath County 11th-graders smoked cigarettes, compared with 17 percent statewide.
• Nine percent of Klamath County eighth-grade males chewed smokeless tobacco, compared with 5 percent statewide.
• Nineteen percent of Klamath County 11th grade males chewed smokeless tobacco compared, with 12 percent statewide.
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of HeraldAndNews.com. Comment Disclaimer: The editors of heraldandnews.com reserve the right to refuse publication of any comment posted for consideration. We may refuse for any reason, including use of profanity, disparaging comments, libelous comments, etc. Any reader who notices a comment they believe is particularly offensive, should notify us at webmaster@heraldandnews.com.
craig wrote on Dec 23, 2008 8:20 PM:
" If they don't pollute air I need to breathe, like in a building, I don't care how they abuse their health. EXCEPT, public taxes often pay a big part of their extra sickness costs from their choice smoking. So we should triple the tax on tobacco and use it all to pay for smoker's medical care. And, by the way, the best way to reduce smoking is to simply raise the price which is another great reason to triple the tobacco tax. "
frelance wrote on Dec 23, 2008 11:03 AM:
" Smoker mentality= Well , Going to die of somethng sooner or later,,,My moms philosopy was , !! It is one of my only enjoyments!!,,, She smoked 2 Packs + of Lucky Strikes non filter,,all here life,,starting at age 14,,,She got sick , went to Dr,,Diagnosed inoperable cancer, It was constricting her breathing,,and now had to be fed by tube in stomach,,, Died before 66 yrs old ,,My boy and girl,,have no grand ma now!! thanks to !! Big Tobacco!!,, Theit kids have no great grandma,,,. This is all true,,,I am 66 and healthy,,never smoked,,,,amazing huh!!!!,,. Bob "
dancyns wrote on Dec 22, 2008 5:53 PM:
" Nobody is taking away your "rights." People who smoke have the same rights as everyone else. However, people do have the right to breathe, I believe the need to breathe supercedes everything else. Smoke from somebody's cigarette puts toxins into the air that can kill those around you. Nobody has the "right" to kill their neighbor or loved one. "
rob wrote on Dec 21, 2008 4:15 PM:
" Gee - if drinking inTOXICants can't be critized how does this rate? Smokers inhale inTOXICants. Judge not least ye be judged and all that. Obviously, smokers are addicted and shouldn't be held responsilble.
See how this argument falls flat...? Will we ever take responsiblity for our actions and choices? There are terrible consequences for using intoxicants regardless of the powerful lure and 'enjoyment' people think they get out of them. "
See how this argument falls flat...? Will we ever take responsiblity for our actions and choices? There are terrible consequences for using intoxicants regardless of the powerful lure and 'enjoyment' people think they get out of them. "
Archie B. wrote on Dec 21, 2008 8:26 AM:
" The Doctor's comments are interesting, but he has no right to go so far as trying to ban smoker's from the city. A county tax is even more rediculous. After all, we still live in a (somewhat) free country. Smoker's do have some rights. I don't like to be around smoker's, and I don't smoke, but to suggest a tax is stupid. "
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JR wrote on Dec 23, 2008 9:29 PM: