HEALTH bosses are urging smokers to quit the habit – and cut their risk of lung cancer.
They say giving up smoking is the most effective way of reducing your chances of getting the disease ... and what a better time of the year to consider it?
Smoking is responsible for 90 per cent of all cases of lung cancer throughout the UK. And people who smoke 20 cigarettes a day are 20 times more likely to get the disease than a non-smoker.
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| HIGH RISK: Smoking is responsible for 90 per cent of all cases of lung cancer throughout the UK. |
The warnings are not new – but health bosses say their message needs to be listened to.
Andrea Gough, respiratory nurse specialist for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said there are early signs and symptoms to look out for.
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| Andrea Gough: 'A diagnosis at an early stage could save your life.' |
They include a cough that doesn't go away after two to three weeks, persistent chest infections, coughing blood and unexplained persistent breathlessness, lack of energy or weight loss. Persistent chest or shoulder pain is also a symptom.
"There are many other causes of these symptoms, so just because you have some of them it does not mean you have lung cancer," she said.
"However, these symptoms might mean something is wrong with your body and you should seek medical advice if you are concerned."
People should visit their GP if they have any of the above symptoms.
Andrea said: "These symptoms may not be serious, in which case, there is nothing to lose by getting them checked out.
"If they are serious, there is everything to gain. A diagnosis at an early stage could save your life."
Non-smokers can get lung cancer too, but smoking is still the major cause.
"The good news is that quitting works. It is never too late to give up, and the sooner you stop the better. Even if you have been smoking for most of your life, your chances of developing lung cancer will be less if you give up now, whatever your age."
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
Each year, 34,600 people die from lung cancer – that is 95 people every day.
Smoking causes almost 90 per cent of lung cancer deaths.
But the good news is that the body will begin to repair itself as soon as a person stops smoking.
The differences can be dramatic in a very short space of time.
Twenty minutes after stopping, your blood pressure and pulse rate will return to normal. Circulation improves in hands and feet, making them warmer.
Eight hours after stopping, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood will be cut by half and oxygen levels will return to normal. Chances of heart attack start to fall.
Just 24 hours after stopping, the level of carbon monoxide in the body will be that of a non-smoker and the lungs will start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.
Forty-eight hours after stopping, the body is becoming free of nicotine and the sense of taste and smell is improving.
A total of 72 hours after stopping, a person should be breathing more easily. Airway passages in the lungs begin to relax. Energy levels increase.
Two to 12 weeks after stopping, circulation is improving, making walking easier.
Three to nine months after stopping, lung function has increased by up to 10 per cent. That means less coughing and wheezing and fewer breathing problems.
Five years after stopping, the risk of having a heart attack is halved.
Regional director for public health at NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, Paul Johnstone said: "No matter how long you have been a smoker, it is always worth giving up. For every year that you do not smoke, your chances of getting lung cancer will decrease.
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| Dr Paul Johnstone: 'It is always worth giving up.' |
"By giving up smoking you will also increase your energy levels and feel healthier generally."
The NHS stop smoking service helped more than 39,000 people in Yorkshire and the Humber region quit the habit between April 2009 and April 2010.
By reducing the number of smokers in Yorkshire and Humber region, the NHS can also cut down on the many thousands of smoking-related procedures and operations it carries out every year, saving the NHS time and freeing up funds which can be spent elsewhere.
Sarah Palmer, 28, of Scartho Top, Grimsby, quit smoking on March 1 this year with the help of a group Smoking Cessation service in North East Lincolnshire.
She said: "I had tried to quit smoking about six years ago, but started again after six months.
"I was so annoyed with myself, so this time I was determined I was going to stop for good.
"However, after smoking around 20 a day since I was 15, I knew I was going to need help.
"I contacted my GP who put me in touch with the leader of my local smoking cessation meeting, who gave me details of the various sessions in our area.
"I picked an evening meeting, so that I could fit it around work, took one of my last wheezy deep breaths and went for it.
"At the meeting, I met up with several other people at various stages of quitting, who gave honest opinions of all kinds of products designed to help stamp out the habit.
"It was great to hear what had worked for others and have concerns or queries addressed by someone who was actually doing it – not someone who had never smoked reading from a pamphlet.
"In the end I opted for patches – delighted at the fact that I would be getting many of them free of charge and the rest on prescription, provided I attended the meetings – and I have never looked back.
"Since that first meeting on March 1, not a single cigarette has touched my lips – and this time I believe it really is for good."
For information about your local NHS stop smoking services, visit www.nhs.uk/smokefree or call 0800 022 4 332.
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