Gradual ascent and a medication called acetazolamide can help avoid serious problems, so you may wish to consult with your physician before your trip. Smoking is a major risk factor for cancer. The risk of dying from lung cancer is 12 times greater in a smoker than in a nonsmoker. Overall, smoking causes 30 percent of all deaths from cancer. In addition to contributing to lung cancer, it also increases the risk of cancers of the cervix, mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, and possibly the stomach.
Smokers also have a higher rate of cardiovascular and respiratory disease.
Household members of smokers are also at risk for cancer. If you smoke, quit. As soon as you stop smoking, your risk of cancer decreases and lung damage starts to heal. Excerpted from The American Medical Women's Association Women's Complete Healthbook, edited by Roselyn Payne Epps and Susan Cobb Stewart. Copyright 1995 by The Philip Lief Group, Inc., and the American Medical Women's Association.