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Diabetes & Smoking: 55% Higher Death Risk Exposed!
4 Sep
Summary
- Smoking boosts death risk by 55% in diabetic patients.
- New consensus urges essential smoking cessation for type 2 diabetes.
- Experts recommend medication and intensive counseling for quitting.
A significant international consensus highlights the critical link between smoking and diabetes, revealing a 55% increased risk of death from any cause among diabetic smokers. Experts now call for smoking cessation to be an integral part of type 2 diabetes management. This new guidance, developed by 35 international experts, moves beyond brief advice to recommend comprehensive strategies.
These strategies include prescribing medications like varenicline, alongside intensive behavioral support and frequent follow-up appointments. This intensive approach is necessary due to the compounded risks smoking poses to individuals with diabetes, including increased cardiovascular and overall mortality. Doctors are advised to monitor patients closely post-quitting.
Concerns about weight gain after quitting should not deter patients, as long-term quitters show lower mortality rates regardless of moderate weight fluctuations. The consensus also addresses smoking's detrimental effects on kidney health in diabetics and calls for personalized quit plans, routine smoking assessments, and active treatment within diabetes care protocols.
