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73
The level of bronchitis in the young adult depends to a very
large extent on the occurrence and treatment of the disease during
childhood and, with the community's youngest members, some
recent investigations show that obesity (q.v.) has a direct relationship
with respiratory infection. It was noted that an increase in
lower respiratory infection occurred in babies whose weight gain
was excessive, especially in those whose weight at birth was
2.5 kgms. or less and in those who were introduced to solids at
nine weeks and under. In most instances the causal organism is
unknown but it is thought, by some reliable authorities, to be due
to a virus arising from infection of the foetus prior to birth. There
is no logical reason to suppose that these upper and lower respiratory
infections have different aetiologies and, so far, virology and
pharmacology have failed to find an effective counter to such
infection. In such cases, imprecise knowledge precludes the application
of recognised preventive measures. Treatment remains
supportive and confined to relief of symptoms in which drugs have
little or no part to play.
Outside these earlier age groupings, bronchitis and lung cancer
are the respiratory diseases which become increasingly prevalent.
Without doubt tobacco consumption is the most important single
definable threat to health, the avoidance of which could bring
immeasurable relief and improvement to the wellbeing of the
individual and the community at large. There can be few people
today who are unaware of the dangers inherent in this pernicious
habit. It is unfortunate but true that, to a large extent, the foundations
of adult addiction are laid during the latter years of school
life where smoking is a readily observable declaration of independence
and maturity and therefore not willingly relinquished.
Scientific evidence continues to accumulate concerning the adverse
effects of smoking. In all smokers, cancers of the mouth, larynx and
oesophagus are more frequent and those of the bladder and
pancreas in cigarette smokers compared with non-smokers but the
most important malignancy of all is that of the lung. There is a
direct relationship between the incidence of lung cancer and
cigarettes smoked and hazards are raised by inhaling and reduced,
but not removed, by filters. The risks have been publicised in
previous reports ad nauseam but, perforce, some must be repeated.
Cigarette smokers are twice as likely to die in middle age as
non-smokers.
Two out of every five heavy cigarette smokers will die before
the age of 65 compared with one non-smoker.
An average smoker of 35 years of age is likely, on average,
to lose 5½ years of life compared with a non-smoker.