Heart Attack

Tobacco doubles heart attack risk for women

29 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Risk of heart attack is two times higher for women taking tobacco and it gets even bigger for those who take contraceptive pills and tobacco simultaneously, Dr Arup Ratan Chowdhury said yesterday quoting from a study. Tobacco also threatens women with higher risk of diabetes and cancer, said Dr Arup, president of the Madakdrabba O Nesha Nirodh Shangstha (Manas), an organization to prevent drug and drug addiction. Women are affected directly and indirectly by tobacco, he said in his keynote presentation at a press conference in the city. Manas organised the conference at the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel to mark the World No Tobacco Day 2010 to be observed globally tomorrow with the theme 'Gender and Tobacco with an Emphasis on Marketing to Women'. Presently more than 1 crore women are taking tobacco in different styles and over 7 lakh of them are smoking, said Dr Ratan. Women are giving birth to children with disability and less weight due to the use of tobacco, he said. According to a research by the World Health Organisation, currently around 111 crore people across the globe are smokers and of them 20 crore are women. Every year around 5 million people die due to tobacco. The anti-drug organisation demanded the government increase tax on tobacco and tobacco products. Eminent film actor Elias Kanchan, Manas Organising Secretary Matiur Rahman Talukder, Treasurer Hosne Ara Lina and Executive Member Masuma Akter were present at the press conference.