People who smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day are more prone to physical disabilities. Their risk is increased by half compared to non-smokers.
Smoking seems to prematurely age the body. A study conducted by the Scientific Institute of Public Health (ISP), located in Belgium, shows that smokers are at greater risk of disability than people who have never smoked a cigarette. Their conclusions, published in the journal PLOS One, suggest that stopping smoking limits the damage.
More men smokers
10,000 Belgians aged 40 to 60 responded to questionnaires on their state of health. Non-smokers were more often young, female, and educated. Conversely, men were more likely to consume cigarettes. But they were also numerous among the former smokers.
To measure the impact of smoking on disability, researchers assessed respondents’ ability to perform six activities of daily living: lying down and getting out of bed, sitting up and getting up from a chair, ” dressing and undressing, washing, eating, going to the toilet. These criteria are commonly used by physicians, especially among the elderly.
Risk increased by 55%
“Heavy smokers”, that is to say those who burn more than 20 cigarettes daily, are more at risk of being restricted in these everyday actions. Compared to male non-smokers, the risk is increased by half. In women, it is increased by 36%.
Source: PLOS One.
Musculoskeletal disorders represent the heaviest burden of disability, say the authors. In a statement, the Belgian Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs, Maggie De Block, underlines that the life expectancy of smokers is reduced by 8 years compared to non-smokers. “Ex-smokers limit breakage with a loss of life expectancy of just over two and a half years,” she recalls.
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