When AIIMS clinic gives a breather, PgIV.

Key Highlights:

• AIIMS Delhi runs a smoking cessation clinic that helps people quit smoking through counselling and nicotine replacement therapy.
• WHO report indicates a decline in tobacco use in India from 49.8% in 2000 to 22.6% in 2024.
• In 2024, 22.6% of the Indian population used tobacco, with 35.6% among men and 9.7% among women.
• India's tobacco control program includes increased prices, pack warnings, and awareness campaigns.

Detailed Insights:

• Smoking cessation clinics use counselling, follow-ups, and nicotine replacement therapy to improve quit rates.
• Seeing improvements in health motivates patients to quit smoking, such as breathing easier and increased activity.
• Chewing tobacco is a major risk factor for oral cancer, prompting some individuals to seek help proactively.
• India's tobacco control success is attributed to price increases, pack warnings, and awareness campaigns.
• Reduced focus on tobacco control and promotion by actors may increase future tobacco use.
• Doctors should routinely ask patients about smoking and counsel them to quit, prescribing nicotine replacement therapies.
• E-cigarette use is low in India despite their availability in the grey market, according to WHO.

Key Concepts Involved:

• COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease): A progressive lung disease causing chronic inflammation and breathing difficulty.
• Nicotine Replacement Therapy: Using products like patches or gum to provide nicotine without harmful chemicals from tobacco.
• Tobacco Control Programme: Government initiatives to reduce tobacco consumption through various measures.