If asthma, lung cancer, and emphysema aren’t enough to scare you off, it turns out smokers are two to four times more likely to develop coronary artery disease (CAD) than nonsmokers. Cardiovascular disease—including CAD, heart failure, and heart attack—is the leading killer in the U.S., claiming more than 860,000 lives in 2005. Smoking ups your risk for heart disease by decreasing the flow of oxygen to the heart and raises your risk fo ... Jump to full article >>

Childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke correlated with increased evidence of emphysema on lung scans of nonsmoking adults, data from a large cohort study showed. Structural and quantitative indices of emphysema differed significantly on CT lung scans of adults with a childhood history of secondhand smoke exposure compared with those with a negative exposure history, Gina S. Lovasi, PhD, of the Mailman School of Public Health of Columb ... Jump to full article >>

One of this year’s top comedy’s finally has a pet — and boy, does she have troubles. ABC’s Middle (Wednesday nights at 8:30 ET) has introduced a Basset Hound who developed emphysema after years of living with two chain-smoking elderly aunts. Frankie, the mom stuck in the “middle” of all the family disasters, takes Doris to her house for a smoke-free environment. Then what? Watch and find out. Meanwhile, we c ... Jump to full article >>

Inhaling secondhand smoke greatly increases risk of heart attack, even among young and nonsmokers Public smoking bans appear to significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, particularly among younger individuals and nonsmokers, according to a new study published in the September 29, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers find that smoking bans can reduce the number of heart attacks by as much as 26 perce ... Jump to full article >>

Only two of original four plaintiffs remain A case against two tobacco companies brought by Professor Erkki Aurejärvi continues today, Monday, in the Helsinki Court of Appeals. Originally, four women wanted compensation for harm caused to their health by “light” cigarettes. The diseases included emphysema and lung cancer. Only two them are still seeking damages from two tobacco companies – British American Tobacco Finland and Amer, t ... Jump to full article >>

When Vera Duckworth, one of Coronation Street’s most loved characters, passed away 18 months ago, there was barely a dry eye among the soap’s 12.5million viewers. But for actress Liz Dawn, who played Vera for an astonishing 34 years, it was a significant personal moment – not only because it was the end of the role, but also because she’d been building up to it since being diagnosed six years earlier with the lung disea ... Jump to full article >>