PUBLICATION DATE:
Diario EL PAÍS
With a success rate of 85%, the British Hospital's pioneering Smoking Cessation program is on its way to completing 18 years enabling hundreds of participants to free themselves from one of the main risk factors for their health.
The nicotine contained in tobacco is highly addictive and tobacco use is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as more than 20 different types or subtypes of cancer and many other debilitating diseases.
According to data from the World Health Organization, more than 8 million deaths related to tobacco use are recorded each year, most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
Although “it is a preventable and treatable disease,” half of smokers may die from cardiovascular, respiratory disease or cancer. In Uruguay 18 people die each day due to diseases associated with smoking, which implies the loss of 6,500 lives per year, said Dr. Sandra Peña coordinator of the Smoking Cessation groups at the British Hospital.
Dr. Peña coordinates and leads a multidisciplinary team made up of pulmonologist Ana Gruss, psychologist Silvana Abatte and nutritionist Paula Ricetto.
Patients who join the program arrive on their own initiative or on the recommendation of their respective treating doctors to seek to overcome an “addictive” disease, which evolves chronically with relapses and is defined as relapsing.
“70% of smokers want to quit smoking and when they try on their own, only 5% achieve abstinence,” Dr. Peña explained.
On the other hand, health teams achieve cessation of tobacco consumption in adults in high percentages when an interdisciplinary approach is carried out, said the specialist.
In the case of the British Hospital program, a psychiatrist can be added to the pulmonologists, the psychologist and the nutritionist if a participant so merits it.
The program is adjusted to the needs and characteristics of each patient, in order to increase the chances of overcoming nicotine addiction.
A cognitive-behavioral treatment is carried out, through a group approach and an individualized pharmacological therapy is defined.
Since its creation in 2007, hundreds of patients in the program have participated, mostly women and middle-aged around 50 years old, with a success rate of 85%, said Dr. Peña.
The specialist highlighted that quitting smoking “reduces health risks immediately and in the medium and long term” and recalled that in many cases these are preventable and reversible damages.
Dr. Peña stated that the cigarette remains the dominant product, but she drew attention to other “new and emerging” products, such as the electronic cigarette, heated tobacco, nicotine pouches and flavored tobacco which are also very harmful to health.