Deaths from smoking in Ireland Deaths from smoking

Deaths from smoking in Ireland

Deaths from smoking in Ireland • This presentation provides estimates of the number of deaths caused by smoking in Ireland • Particular emphasis is given to the number of deaths in middle age (defined as ages 35 to 69) • Available on www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Source of data: “Mortality from Smoking in Developed Countries, 1950– 2000” • Updated edition of a 1994 book, authored by an international team of scientists: – Richard Peto, Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Oxford – Alan Lopez, Professor of Medical Statistics, University of Queensland – Jillian Boreham, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford – Michael Thun, Chief of Epidemiology, American Cancer Society • Uses WHO mortality data for lung cancer and for other diseases, and UN population data www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Ireland Deaths from smoking, 1950 to 2000 • About 235, 000 people died from smoking during this 50 -year period in Ireland • About half (119, 000) of them were still in middle age when they died • This was about one in four of all the deaths in middle age during this period (119, 000 out of the 510, 000 deaths at ages 35 -69) www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Ireland, year 2000 Annual deaths from smoking • Smoking kills about 5, 700 people a year in Ireland • About 1, 700 die in middle age from smoking • Many of those killed in middle age would have lived on for 10, 20, 30 or more good years • About 21 years of life are lost, on average, by those killed in middle age by smoking www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Ireland, year 2000 Smoking causes about four times as many deaths as all non-medical causes put together 5, 700 smoking 1, 578* non-medical Murder / assault Suicide Road accidents Plane crashes Train crashes Accidents at work Accidents at home *in year 2000 www. deathsfromsmoking. net Falls Drowning Poisoning Fires Floods / storms Other natural disasters Other accidents

Ireland, year 2000 Smoking kills 5, 700 people a year, from many different diseases 1, 600 vascular (heart disease, stroke and other diseases of the arteries and veins) 2, 000 cancer* 500 other 1, 600 respiratory www. deathsfromsmoking. net *includes 1, 400 (89%) of the 1, 568 lung cancer deaths

Ireland, year 2000 About one in four of all cancer deaths is due to smoking 2, 000 (26%) from smoking 1, 400 (34%) from smoking 600 (17%) from smoking www. deathsfromsmoking. net 7, 700 total cancer deaths 4, 100 male 3, 600 female

Male deaths in middle age from smoking • The main pattern of increase and, eventually, decrease in premature deaths from smoking is at a more advanced stage among men than among women • This pattern is seen first in middle age, then in old age • The next three slides concentrate on male deaths in middle age www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Ireland, year 2000 About one in four of all deaths in middle-aged men is due to smoking* www. deathsfromsmoking. net *1, 200 (24%) of the 4, 900 deaths at ages 35 -69

Ireland, year 2000 Of 100 men aged 35 years … • 26 die in middle age* • 6 of these 26 deaths are from smoking 6 26% www. deathsfromsmoking. net *risks at year 2000 death rates for ages 35 -69

Ireland, 1950 -2000 Male death in middle age: changing hazards* Smoking 1950 1955 1960 4 41% 40% 38% 7 10 1965 39% 12 1970 41% 14 1975 39% 13 1980 38% 12 1985 36% 13 1990 10 1995 9 2000 All causes 6 33% 30% 26% www. deathsfromsmoking. net *risks at period-specific death rates for ages 35 -69

Ireland, year 2000 Summary for the whole population In Ireland: • Smoking kills about 5, 700 men and women every year • About 1, 700 die in middle age from smoking • Smoking causes about four times as many deaths as all non-medical causes put together • About one in four of all cancer deaths is due to smoking www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Messages for the individual smoker • The risk is big: about half are killed • Those killed in middle age lose many years • Stopping smoking works – Even in early middle age, those who stop (before they have lung cancer or some other fatal disease) avoid most of their risk of being killed by tobacco – Stopping before middle age works even better www. deathsfromsmoking. net

Deaths from smoking: an electronic resource www. deathsfromsmoking. net Published by International Union Against Cancer (UICC), Geneva: Switzerland, 2006 Funded by Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU), University of Oxford International Union Against Cancer (UICC) Fogarty International Center, US NIH UK Medical Research Council Cancer Research UK Project team Project management Advice and support Design Richard Peto, Judith Watt, Jillian Boreham Sinéad Jones Steve Woodward, Konrad Jamrozik, Lesley Walker, Trish Cotter bwa-design. co. uk