Smoking: number of excessive smokers increased by almost 50 percent

According to health insurance data, more and more people in Germany are among the excessive smokers – their number has been growing for years. Almost a quarter suffer from a chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Your share has also grown.

Between 2013 and 2023, the number of excessive smokers and tobacco addicts among their own insured rose by almost half (47.5 percent), the KKH commercial health insurance company said. According to the extrapolation, around six million people nationwide, for example, were treated nationwide due to tobacco addiction or withdrawal symptoms.

The problem: According to the health insurance, smoking is the main risk factor for a COPD, one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Almost a quarter of the excessive smokers – 22.8 percent – was ill from a COPD in 2023. The proportion was still 19.5 percent ten years earlier. What helps against this: “Becoming a non -smoker – this is the best and only correct measure to prevent the disease from progressing,” said Michael Falkenstein, expert for addiction questions.

For the study, the health insurance company relies on data of 1.66 million own insured persons, of which almost 118,000 were classified as excessive smokers. This corresponds to a share of 7.1 percent in 2023 – ten years earlier, the proportion was still 4.8 percent. With around 1.5 million insured persons, the KKH is currently one of the largest nationwide health insurance companies.

In Lower Saxony, the number of tobacco addicts rose by 39 percent between 2013 and 2023-according to the KKH high bill, around 621,000 people were treated there in 2023. During this period, the proportion of starch scallers in their own insured rose from 5.9 percent to 8.2 percent. 22.8 percent of excessive smokers were also suffering from a COPD in 2023. Ten years earlier, the proportion was still 19.7 percent nationwide.

What does a COPD mean? According to the information, the disease arises from inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, then the bronchi is chronic – the patients struggle for air. The result is permanent damage to the lung, those affected also have a higher risk of heart attacks or lung cancer. And the further the disease progresses, the less resilient the patients are.

The number of unreported cases should be high, because: “Our numbers only show the tip of the iceberg, because we can only evaluate those cases in which a tobacco addiction was doctor diagnosed,” said Falkenstein. Passive smokers also have a higher risk of COPD, as are people who are exposed to high stress on chemicals and dust.

And vaping is also dangerous, as Falkenstein emphasizes: “The misconception that e-cigarettes and water pipes are less harmful to conventional cigarettes is still widespread.” However: “This is a fallacy. In this way, too, substances that harm the lungs are inhaled.”

After KKH data, the situation in Thuringia was particularly serious: there the number of tobacco addicts rose by 99.6 percent in the ten-year comparison-the cash register recorded the lowest increase with around 26 percent in Hamburg. The largest proportion of excessive smokers with COPD lived in Saarland-26.1 percent of the starch scare were ill in 2023. The share was the lowest in Saarland at around 16 percent.

Falkenstein emphasizes that in the fight against the disease it is important to completely end tobacco consumption – and not just to reduce. Positive effects showed up after a short time: the lungs begin to recover, cough, shortness of breath and mucus improved, infections of the airways become less common. The cardiovascular system also benefits, because the blood circulation regenerates within a few weeks after the last cigarettes.

“What many do not know: Staying is worthwhile at any age,” said the expert. “Even those who only do without cigarettes as a 60-year-old will significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases within a few years.” What is not there is harmless use – even with a cigarette daily, the risk of heart diseases or strokes increases.