Smoking-attributable deaths in Spain in 1998

BACKGROUND: Between 1993 and 1997, smoking prevalence remained stable in Sp ain yet age-adjusted death rates by smoking-related diseases decreased. Our study aimed to estimate the burden of smoking-attributable mortality in Sp ain in 1998. POPULATION AND METHOD: Spain's smoking prevalence, mortality and relative r isks for death from the Cancer Prevention Study II were used to estimate sm oking-attributable mortality in the population aged 35 years and over. RESULTS: In 1998, 55,613 deaths were attributable to smoking. One out of 4 deaths in males and one out of 40 deaths in females were attributable to to bacco. Two thirds of the attributable mortality corresponded to deaths due to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disea se and stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking actually represents a remarkable burden of avoidable d eaths in Spain. Smoking-attributable mortality appears to continue increasi ng in the last years.