[Women and smoking].

Of the 300,000 deaths attributable to smoking among women in developed countries in 1985, 21% were coded to lung cancer, for example, 41% to cardiovascular diseases, primarily coronary heart disease and stroke, and 18% to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Overall, female deaths rates from lung cancer in developed countries increased by almost 200% between 1957 and 1987. Smoking and tobacco consumption is a health risk for women at all ages. All women, regardless whether they are pregnant, performing oral contraception or estrogen replacement should not smoke; if they are not able to stop on their own, appropriate counselling and therapy should be provided according to the state of the art. Women who smoke typically go through the menopause 2 or 3 years earlier than non-smokers. Cigarette smoking to increase the risk of estrogen-deficiency diseases, as cardiovascular risk and postmenopausal osteoporosis. Many women want to give up smoking for a number of reasons, such as health, freedom from smoking dependence, financial worries and of course pregnancy. Women find it more difficult to quit than men because of lack of social support, more reliance on cigarette to cope with stress and anxiety and fear of weight gain. Although many women manage to refrain from smoking for a long, they may relapse in situations involving negative emotions, such as conflicts, stress, loss. Men however, tend to relapse in positive situations, such as social events. Smoking cessation programmes have to cover specifically women's need including basic health education, discussion of withdrawal symptoms, strategies to maintain non-smoking and prevent relapse, continuing group support, stress management, advice on weight management, nutrition, fitness and exercise.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)