Tobacco smoking is projected to cause one billion deaths worldwide this century, mainly in low and middle income countries (LMICs) such as China. Smoking also increases the risks of developing a wide range of conditions that do not generally cause deaths, such as asthma, peptic ulcer, cataract, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases. The researchers used data from the China Kadoorie Biobank to comprehensively assess the health effects of tobacco smoking on death and hospitalisation from a range of diseases and to examine the benefit of smoking cessation. Future research should continue to monitor the rising burden of smoking in China, and in other LMICs which face similar tobacco epidemics. The full paper, 'Tobacco smoking and risks of >470 diseases in China: a prospective cohort study', can be read in The Lancet Public Health.
