New study is first to show that risk of childhood obesity may be reduced by treating pregnant woman for gestational diabetes

New study confirms link between breast cancer and hormone therapy

New Study Finds Breast Cancer Survivors Don’t Need to Increase Fruits and Vegetables beyond National Guidelines

Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research 2007 Saward Lecture

Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research Wins $2.76 Million Award to Study Long-Term Oxygen Treatment for Patients with COPD

National Study Shows Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma Receive Only Half of Recommended Care

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Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research Launches Two New Smoking Cessation Studies

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Using Safety Alerts in Electronic Medical Records Reduces Rates of Potentially Dangerous Medication Interactions

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Making longer-term lifestyle changes lowers rates of high blood pressure and risk of heart disease

What's New - Smoking-related Illness

Study is first smoking-related illness data released by CDC

Nearly 100,000 Oregonians among 8.6 million Americans suffering serious illness due to smoking

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - More than 8.6 million Americans currently suffer from one or more serious illnesses due to cigarette smoking, according to a study published recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That number includes nearly 100,000 Oregonians, according to estimates by the study's co-author, Jeffrey Fellows, PhD, who is a senior research associate at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in north Portland.

"What the study shows is that deaths from smoking tell only a small part of the story. For every death from smoking, another 20 people live with at least one serious illness caused by smoking," says Fellows. "In Oregon, nearly 5,000 people die every year from a disease caused by smoking. This means there are nearly 100,000 other Oregonians who are currently living with a disease caused by smoking."

Diseases linked to cigarette smoking include chronic bronchitis (the most common condition at 49 percent), emphysema (the second most common at 24 percent), and stroke, heart attack, and cancer of the lung, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, cervix, kidney, bladder, and pancreas. Many smokers suffer from more than one disease, with 12.7 million occurrences of smoking-related illnesses annually, according to the study, which was published in the Sept. 5 edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"Smokers run a great risk of developing one or more of these terrible diseases. Nearly 10 percent of all current and former adult smokers suffer from a disease caused by smoking. The good news is that quitting is the best way for smokers to reduce their chances of developing a serious illness. Smokers who would like to quit should discuss the issue with their doctor or enroll in a good smoking-cessation program. They can also go online at www.smokefree.gov for the latest quitting tips and information, or call 1-877-448-7848. "

More than $870 million spent in Oregon on smoking-related medical care

"Cigarette smoking also inflicts enormous economic burdens on individuals and society," says Fellows. Direct health care costs nationwide for smoking-related disease are estimated at $75 billion a year by the CDC, with an additional $82 billion in lost productivity from premature death. More than $870 million is spent on medical care in Oregon every year because of smoking and more than $890 million in lost productivity occurs in the state from premature deaths.

The study was conducted by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (Buffalo, N.Y.), Research Triangle Institute (Research Triangle Park, N.C.), and the CDC Office on Smoking and Health in Atlanta. Dr. Fellows was a member of the latter office when the study was conducted.

Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research, founded in 1964, is a non-profit research institute whose mission is to advance knowledge to improve health.

The CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations. More information on CDC's tobacco-control activities can be found at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

For more infomation contact:
Terry Fitzpatrick, 503.335.6602 or
Jim Gersbach, 503.813-4820

Released: September 8, 2003