Abstract

REYES HERNANDEZ, Damaris; GARCIA CANALES, Marta; SIMON ORTEGA, Patricia  and  PEREZ GARCIA, Kymani. Repercussion of smoking on the pulmonary functions of active smokers. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.3-4, pp. 227-233. ISSN 0138-6557.

Introduction: in this century has been an unusual increase of smoking, habit that is the more important risk factor for development of ventilatory limitation, such action has became a problem in the health staff. Objective: to determine the possible repercussion of smoking on the pulmonary function. A cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in smokers working in the "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay" Central and Military Hospital. Sixty smokers underwent a spirometry study. Results: there was predominance of female sex from the 40 and 49 age-groups. The assistant staff was the group with a greater figure of smokers. Cigarette was the more consumed toxic agent. Also, there was predominance of moderate smokers (11-20 cigarettes by day) during more of 21 years with the greater figure of patients with respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: the predominant spirometry pattern was normal, but there was a significant percentage of smokers presenting with an obstructive ventilatory dysfunction, showing the damage to pulmonary function in the smokers staff.

Keywords : smoking; health staff; ventilatory functional tests.