Health Consequences of Smoking. Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Report of the Surgeon General. Summary

摘要

The Report of the Surgeon General on the Health Consequences of Smoking for 1984 concentrates on chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD), which comprises emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The evidence brought forth in this report indicates that COLD would almost disappear if Americans quit smoking. Some 80 to 90 percent of COLD mortality is associated with smoking, most of the rest is the result of a relatively rare genetic defect in which the patient lacks a certain enzyme that protects against lung damage.