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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
Tel: 1-800-CDC-INFO
(1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
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Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)
Cigarette Smoking-Attributable Morbidity—United States, 2000
September 5, 2003 / Vol. 52 / No. 35
MMWR Highlights
- About 8.6 million people in the United States have at least one serious
illness caused by smoking.
- Smoking-attributable illness is a major contributor to the $75 billion
per year in direct medical costs from smoking.
- Approximately 440,000 people in the United States die of a smoking-attributable
illness, resulting in 5.6 million years of potential life lost and $82 billion
in lost productivity from smoking.
- For every person who dies of a smoking attributable disease, there are
20 more people suffering with at least one serious illness from smoking.
- Among current smokers, chronic lung diseases account for 73% of smoking
attributable conditions.
- Among former smokers, chronic lung diseases account for 50% of smoking
attributable conditions, followed by heart attacks (24%).
- Many more people are harmed by tobacco use than are indicated by death
rates alone, and more individuals will experience serious chronic diseases
attributed to smoking if they continue to smoke.
- There is a need to implement proven strategies to support cessation within
comprehensive prevention and cessation programs. Effective interventions include
increasing the cost of cigarettes, increasing clean indoor air regulations,
reducing treatment cost by providing insurance coverage, implementing telephone
smoking quit-lines, offering treatment to smokers every time they are seen
in health care systems, and implementing media campaigns to encourage smokers
to quit.
Page last reviewed 02/28/2007
Page last modified 02/28/2007