Tobacco and Lung Health: A “World No Tobacco Day” Quiz

Question 1. Tobacco smoking is responsible for what percentage of lung cancer deaths worldwide?

Answer: D. >66%. Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for over two-thirds of lung cancer deaths, worldwide. Second-hand smoke exposure increases the risk, and quitting smoking may reduce it, to about half that in a smoker.

Question 2. Where does tobacco smoking rank among the causes of COPD? 

Answer: A. First. Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of COPD, and persons who start smoking at a young age are at particularly high risk. The most effective treatment for slowing COPD progression and improving asthma symptoms is early smoking cessation. 

Question 3. Young children exposed to second-hand smoke are at risk for the onset and exacerbation of which of the above conditions? 

Answer: D. All of the above. Infants exposed in utero to tobacco smoke toxins frequently experience reduced lung growth and function. Deaths from lower respiratory infections caused by second-hand smoke have occurred in an estimated 165 000 children aged <5 years worldwide; frequent lower respiratory infections in early childhood significantly increase COPD risk in adulthood.

Question 4. What effect does tobacco smoking have on a person’s chances of contracting TB?

Answer: B. Doubles the risk. Smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to contract TB; latent TB occurs in ~25% of the world population, placing them at greater risk for active disease. The risk of morbidity and mortality from respiratory failure is significantly increased in patients with active TB who incur the additional lung damage caused by cigarette smoking.

Question 5. How many chemicals does tobacco smoke contain, and how many of them are known to cause cancer?

Answer: D. >7000 chemicals, 69 known to cause cancer. Tobacco smoke may linger in the air for up to 5 hours, placing exposed persons at risk for chronic respiratory diseases and reduced lung function as well as lung cancer.

Question 6. What proportion of lifetime tobacco users die as a result of tobacco use?

Answer: C. One-half. Close to 6 million persons die each year due to tobacco use; half of lifetime users who die as a result of tobacco use are middle aged (35–69 years). Tobacco use is a risk factor for 6 of the 8 leading causes of death worldwide and the leading preventable cause of death.

Question 7. The short-term health benefits of smoking cessation include which of the above?

Answer: D. A, B, and C. Decreased heart rate and BP, normalized carbon monoxide level in the blood, and improved circulation and increased lung function all are immediate health benefits of quitting for all smokers. Others are decreased coughing and shortness of breath within 1-9 months and a reduced risk of CHD to about half that of a smoker within 1 year.

Question 8. True or false? Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after smoking cessation.

Answer: A. True. Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after the patient stops smoking. Other long-term health benefits of smoking cessation include lung cancer risk reduced to about half that of a smoker and risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas reduced within 10 years; risk of CHD is reduced to that of a nonsmoker within 15 years.

Question 9. Approximately how many years are gained in life expectancy for persons who quit smoking at age 30 years vs those who continue smoking?

Answer: B. 10 years. Persons who quit smoking at about age 30 years gain 9 years of life expectancy; those who quit at about 50 years gain 6 years; and those who quit at about 60 years gain 3 years.

Question 10. When a person quits smoking after having a heart attack, the chances of having another heart attack are reduced by how much?