Medical study: smoking kills 18,000 Czechs per year

Every year smoking kills around 18 thousand Czechs, according to information released by the Center for Treatment of Tobacco Addiction at Prague’s General University Hospital. Dr. Eva Králíková from the center said that of those, 8,000 people die of cancer, 7,000 of heart and vascular diseases, and 3,000 die of respiratory and other diseases. A third of all adults in the Czech Republic smoke while the percentage among young people is even higher. Dr. Králíková said that 17% of all heart attacks treated in the Czech Republic could be prevented and 30% of all youngsters who began smoking before 18 would not be smoking at all if a smoking ban was imposed in restaurants.