Smoking causes chronic disease

The Chairman of the Ministerial Committee of Smoking in the Palestinian government in Gaza, Dr. Nasr Al Tetr said that the Ministry of Health is about to take decisions and decisive actions in the fight against smoking in the facilities of the Ministry of Health, in parallel with the presence of incentives for those who will quit smoking. El Tetr, who is the medical director of the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City emphasized, in an exclusive interview with "Arabs Today," that the goal of the Ministry of Health for the year 2011 is having smoking-free facilities, in order to protect the health and safety of citizens, noting that the ministry has made great efforts in this aspect. El Tetr, who is specialized in heart diseases, said that smoking in the Gaza Strip, has lowered down by 18%, compared to the West Bank territory. He attributes this to the extent of health and religious awareness shown by the members of the Gaza community. He also called on all public and private institutions to be active in their role within the Supreme National Committee for Tobacco Control .He referred to the Committee's many activities and events, as well as the constant follow-up work of the committees. Teter also hinted at the meetings with hospital managers to discuss the plan during the next phase to ensure the success and access to clean health institutions. Teter asserted that smoking is a "bad habit" for which an integrated action between citizens and government and community institutions is needed in order to eradicate this "serious epidemic" plaguing the Palestinian youth. As for the health disadvantages of smoking, Dr. Teter clarified that the smoker is driving himself towards a series of fatal diseases like cancer, problems in the respiratory and digestive system as well as chronic health problems. In addition to that smoking is fatal for the mind, soul and a waste of the smoker's health and money and as well as being bad for the community. He hopes that this step will lead to the end of the bad habit of smoking. Teter emphasized that there is a close relationship between smoking and chronic disease, meaning infection of one or more organs with an untreatable disease, where the diseases is sustained despite the medical treatments prescribed by doctors. He pointed out that chronic diseases affect any organ of the body and can infect the respiratory tract. An example is chronic bronchitis inflammation which is caused due to smoking when specific microbes or fine particles that invade the lungs, such as the Alosppt substance or silicon. The cirrhosis of the lung is also common among smokers. It causes the proliferation of fibrous tissue which limits the ability of the lungs to perform their normal function of the Ins and Outs is another potential disease alongside Malignant tumours of various types that infect the airways or lungs, causing a deficiency in the work of the respiratory system, and inflammatory complications among other things. He stressed that the causes of these diseases are unknown, but added that "smoking is of the fundamental factors that cause such diseases and that the asthma "crisis", which causes shortness of breath caused by tightness in the airways which occur because of certain allergic substances such as dust, smoke and perfumes. According to Teter, "One of the chronic diseases is atherosclerosis, which affects blood vessels anywhere in the body especially the heart’s "coronary artery", brain, nervous system, urinary system and parties. The symptoms of angina pectoris and heart attack are coldness of the parties and leg pain while walking a given distance depending on the degree of injury. He explained that the symptoms are the work of a defect in the heart muscle which leads to a chronic decline in the heart ". While speaking of chronic diseases Dr. Teter discussed another disease such as tumours of the breasts and said, "Every woman must examine her breasts regularly and inform her doctor when she observes the presence of any type of tumour regardless of how small it was." He confirmed that there are now methods and tests to reveal the disease in its early stages, such as imaging of the breasts, which is found in developed countries, and there are regular survey programs to detect such diseases and treat it early to prevent them from reaching an advanced stage and place it in the list of chronic diseases, in addition to prostate, brain and skin diseases. " El Teter added that diabetes should be given special and permanent care and a treatment program should be placed to the sufferer, both on the general level or at the individual level, in addition to high blood pressure disease, it needs care and follow-up and treatment for lifetime to prevent complications that the patient can be exposed to in the event of negligent treatment of blood pressure and keep it in the normal range which is less than 90/140. In the same context Teter mentioned examples of cirrhosis of the liver caused by viral infection of the liver or alcohol abuse, stressing that prevention is better than cure. He said that there is a disease that stays for a long time, but suddenly becomes severe and then works quickly within a few days, and leads to partial or total lack in the function of a patient. He also clarified that some of these diseases start with severity and if neglected or lack of treatment occurs, it develops into a chronic disease such as chronic renal failure, which may start with simple inflammations that can be controlled. Teter stressed that there should not be failure in visiting a doctor or taking the medicine prescribed with the recommended dose. He added that some chronic diseases are the result of genetic factor, which of course can not be replaced, such as diabetes and blood pressure. He confirmed that it's in the capacity of diabetics and blood pressure patients, which are two of the most common diseases, to reduce and limit the consequences of these diseases by following a specific diet and regular treatment without delay. He pointed out that diabetes and hypertension patients often spend a long time accompanying their disease with no medical treatment, relying on organizing their meals to suit the nature of the disease, such as minimizing the intake of salty food in the case of pressure, sugars and starches in the case of diabetes sufferers. As for the relationship between chronic diseases and Palestinians daily life, Dr. Teter said that there is a close relationship between chronic diseases and the bitter reality that going through all segments of Palestinian society under occupation and the siege. Many patients cannot travel abroad, nor have access to health centres specialized due to the policy of closure of the crossing practised by the occupation against our people. Other patients do not find the medicine because there are shortages and many of the drugs can't be transported through the border as a result of this policy. Coupled with this there are some diseases that require urgent surgery, but instead the patients health deteriorates day by day until death as a result of the complexities they face in obtaining approval for travel and the closure of the crossings.