2024-04-09 08:32:39
Armenia, among other member countries of the World Health Organization, celebrates World No Tobacco Day on May 31. The WHO has been celebrating the day since 1988, and Armenia since 2000.
As in many countries of the world, in the Republic of Armenia, tobacco use and the resulting high rates of morbidity and mortality create serious health problems.
On the eve of World No Tobacco Day Aysor.am had a conversation with Lyubov Nikolayan, scientific adviser to the director of the National Pulmonology Center, docent, phthisiologist.
“Scientific works document that many organ systems are exposed to the harmful effects of tobacco, in particular, ischemic heart disease occurs 20 times more often among smokers, myocardial infarction also occurs 30 times more often than among non-smokers.
Today, cancer and tuberculosis have their permanent place in the top ten leading causes of death, and if such a trend continues, by 2030 this trend will lead to taking the largest number of human lives,” says the specialist.
According to him, the research also indicates the combination of these two diseases.
“At the National Center for Pulmonology, we did such work and it turned out that 96.4 percent of patients with both tuberculosis and cancer had a long history of smoking.”
In terms of the incidence of tuberculosis in Armenia, there is a rather gratifying low rate.
“Showing a gradual decreasing trend over the last years, now we have a 13.3 percent indicator. The mortality rate has also decreased significantly. If we compare with the previous years, both morbidity and mortality have decreased by 4 or more times.
The causative agent of tuberculosis is always active if there are no countermeasures. Every third person on the planet has an infection, which means that he/she has come into contact with the causative agent of tuberculosis. Another question is when it multiplies to the extent that it can lead to morbidity. It happens in cases when the resistance of the macroorganism declines,” says Lyubov Nikolayan.
There is a pronounced gender difference in the incidence of tuberculosis, it is often registered among men. Mortality follows the same trend. Death, as well as morbidity, is contributed by the presence of HIV.
“It is much more effective if we detect any disease through screening. The national strategic plan for the fight against tuberculosis foresees that we should conduct screening surveys among the population and the most vulnerable target groups have already been identified,” says the scientific advisor to the director of the National Pulmonology Center.
According to him, 800 grams of tar passes through the lungs of a smoker every year.
“The resin is not only a sticky substance, it also contains many toxic substances.”
As for the electronic cigarette, according to the expert, it seems that it is more harmless, while the biggest harm is that it kills the patient’s determination to quit smoking.
“American scientists have proven that there are 3 times more harmful substances in the saliva of electronic cigarette smokers than non-smokers.
It is true that final combustion does not occur there, as in the case of a cylinder, but a thermal effect occurs and many harmless substances become harmful under the conditions of incomplete combustion.
Հեղինակ՝ Suzy Melkonyan, cameraman: Hovik Grigoryan
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