The use of smokeless tobacco like chewing tobacco or using snuff leads to a range of oral cavity lesions.It increases the risk of Stomach and Pancreatic cancer. This article is about the tobacco associated lesion called Keratosis.
What is Lesion?
A Lesion is an abnormal tissue found within or on the body of an organism because of damage caused to the tissues by some disease. Example of a Lesion is a cancerous tissue.
About tobacco related lesions: Keratosis
- Tobacco-related lesions made up 4.7% of all lesions found in 17,235 people examined as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in U.S.
- One such tobacco related lesion is Keratosis.It affects the site of intake of the smokeless tobacco by the user.
- Keratosis thickens the area of intake of tobacco.The area later becomes grayer and corrugated by continuous usage.
- The amount, type, brand and frequency with which the smokeless tobacco is used decides the development of the lesion.
- It is found that the area of lesions because of the intake of smokeless tobacco are the places in direct contact with them.
- Areas other than the direct contact do not get affected by the lesions.
- Moreover, if the tobacco user quits the practice, then it is found that the affected area shows signs of improvement and recovery.
- If a tobacco user gives up his habit and the lesions still remain after two months of his quitting of the tobacco, then such Keratosis can develop into cancer cells requiring immediate medical treatment.
- Keratosis is a precancerous entity, its potential to develop in to a life threatening disease is less than 0.4%.
Remember , Prevention is always better than cure.
Leave a Reply
