Dr. Vasu Prada

While it is well known that smoking causes lung cancer, heavy smokers with diabetes are also at increased risk of death from causes other than lung cancer, according to a study being presented next week at the annual meeting of the radiological society of north america (rsna).

Diabetes is a chronic illness in which there are high levels of glucose in the blood. More than 29 million people in the u. S. Have diabetes, up from the previous estimate of 26 million in 2010, according to a report released by the centers for disease control and prevention. One in four people with diabetes doesn't know he or she has it. Having diabetes can also put people at risk for numerous other health complications.

To determine the extent to which diabetes is associated with deaths from lung cancer, other cancers, and other causes among heavy smokers, researchers examined the risk for all-cause mortality among people with and without diabetes within the national lung screening trial (nlst), a massive, multicenter trial that compared low-dose helical ct with chest x-ray for early detection of lung cancer in current and former heavy smokers.

" in our study, we found a statistically significant link between diabetes and all-cause deaths, non-lung cancer deaths and lung cancer deaths in women" said kavita garg, m. D, professor of radiology from the university of colorado -- denver.

For the study, Dr. Garg and colleagues looked at data from 53, 454 participants in the nlst and identified 5, 174 participants who reported having diabetes at screening.

They conducted an analysis of the relative risk for overall mortality, lung cancer mortality, and non-lung cancer mortality associated with diabetes, adjusting for age, gender, body mass index (bmi), and pack-years of smoking. Over the course of the study, there were 3, 936 total deaths, including 1, 021 from lung cancer and 826 from cancers not of the lung.

Participants with diabetes tended to be older, reported more pack-years of smoking, and had a higher bmi than those without diabetes. There were 650 deaths (12.6 percent of patients) among participants with diabetes and 3, 286 deaths (6.8 percent of patients) among participants without diabetes.

" we found that diabetes doubles the risk for all-cause mortality and non-lung cancer mortality among heavy smokers" Dr. Garg said" we also found that women with diabetes have an increased risk of lung-cancer mortality, but did not find the same effect in men"

The researchers continue to analyze data in an effort to better understand the underlying cause. In the meantime, Dr. Garg emphasizes the importance of taking control of diabetes and undergoing lung cancer screening if you're a smoker.

" patients have to take care of their diabetes to maximize the benefit of ct screening for lung cancer" she said" it truly makes a magnitude of difference in mortality risk"

Smoking during pregnancy can adversely affect not only your health but that of your unborn too. Kicking this habit can help you to have a safer pregnancy as well as a healthier baby. If not, it can lead to a number of serious pregnancy complications including the death of your baby. According to various findings, smoking during this period can double your prospects of having a baby with low birth weight as well as your chance for stillbirth.

What happens when you smoke while pregnant?

The cigarette smoke is made up of about 4000 chemicals, which includes about 60 cancer causing substances, lead, and cyanide. Of these toxins in cigarette smoke, carbon monoxide and nicotine are the two toxins that make up much of smoking-related pregnancy complication. The toxins go directly to your baby through the bloodstream, the only source of nutrients and oxygen for your offspring. By working in tandem, the nicotine and carbon monoxide toxins bring about a decrease in the supply of oxygen for your baby. While nicotine cuts off oxygen supply by constricting the blood vessels, the red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen also pick up carbon monoxide molecules and take them directly to your baby.

What effects does it have on your little one?

When you smoke, you put your baby on harm's way and here's what happens to your baby:

- In terms of weight, it has been revealed that while smoking one pack daily can bring about a 226 gm decrease in the baby's weight, smoking two packs every day can affect your baby's weight by about 453 gm. A stunted growth during this period can negatively affect your child later in life.

- Due to the negative effects of the toxins, the development of your baby's lung and body gets hampered. It may also make your baby prone to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SID) and asthma.

- It can also increase your baby's chance of suffering from a heart defect. Research shows that babies whose mothers smoke during the first three months of pregnancy have 20-70% chance of developing congenital heart problems compared to babies whose mothers didn't smoke.

- Smoking can affect the development of his brain functions and cause him or her to suffer from low IQ, learning disabilities as well as behavioral issues. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.