Women's health in perspective. A real lady killer.

Millions of dollars are spent each year on research to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other diseases in order to improve health outcomes for women in the United States. The impact of this research on longevity and quality of life is significant. However, it pales in comparison to the potential impact of a single known preventable cause of most of these diseases tobacco use. Cigarette smoking is by far the number one preventable cause of death in both men and women. While the death rate for tobacco related disease for men has leveled off, rates among women continue to rise) More than 140,000 women in the United States die each year as a result of smoking related diseases, including cardiovascular disease; lung cancer; chronic lung disease; pancreatic, oral, esoph ageal, laryngeal, urinary, and cervical cancers; and lower respiratory infections. 23