The Concept of CMR

Some Statistics

On a global scale, smoking-related mortality is set to rise from 3 million annually (1995 estimate) to 10 million annually by 2030, with 70% of these deaths occurring in developing countries (2). Smoking prevalence in men is currently highest in Pacific region countries, such as South Korea (68%), China (61%), and Japan (59%).

Among Americans aged 18 and older, 23.4% of men (25.1 million) and 18.5% of women (20.9 millions) are smokers, which puts them at increased risk of CHD (3). From 1997-2001, approximately 437,902 Americans died each year of smoking-related illnesses, and 34.7% of these deaths were related to cardiovascular complications (4). On average, male smokers die 13.2 years earlier than male non-smokers, whereas female smokers die 14.5 years earlier than non-smoking women (3). Moreover, it has been estimated that 35,052 non-smokers die from CHD each year in the United States as a result of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (4).