Campus Life

The Medical Minute: The Great American Smokeout

In recognition of the American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout event today (Nov. 21), the Medical Minute, a service of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, reports that smoking kills 440,000 Americans annually--almost one person every minute. Although smoking contributes significantly to many forms of cancer, most smoking deaths are from lung cancer, heart disease and chronic lung disease. In fact, more women die each year from smoking related lung cancer than from breast cancer. Stroke risk is two and a half times higher in smokers. It is a major contributor to impotence in men and osteoporosis in women. It doubles the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, a significant cause of visual loss in older people. Smoking parents increase the risk of bronchitis, pneumonia and ear infections in their children. Pregnant smokers have infant mortality rates one-third higher than nonsmoking women. For the full Medical Minute, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2002/medicalminuteindex.html.

Last Updated March 19, 2009