Listen to the audio version of the article
Lungs, heart health, stroke. Hospitalizations for diseases related to tobacco smoking weigh 1.64 billion euros on the Italian state coffers. A study ofMario Negri Institute and of theATS Brianza published in Tobacco Induced Diseases calculated the economic impact of cigarettes in Italy only on hospitalizations. The data used in the study were provided by Ministry of Health. In particular, all the relevant hospital discharge forms were made available in anonymized form to the year 2018 of patients over the age of 30, hospitalized for one of the 12 pathologies selected for their correlation to smoking including: lung cancer, stroke and ischemic heart disease. In total, a sample of approximately one million hospital discharge forms was analysed.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for at least 6% of all national hospitalizations
The most recent data available for the study dates back to 2018 and is therefore not affected by possible distortions caused by the impact of the Covid pandemic on hospitalizations in subsequent years. «The results of our study – explains Irene Possenti, researcher at the Mario Negri Institute – indicate that cigarette smoking has a huge impact on the Italian economy, being responsible for at least 6% of all national hospitalizations. We are talking about at least 1.64 billion euros for hospitalizations caused by tobacco smoking alone.”
Among the major health costs attributable to tobacco smoking, it emerged that hospitalizations for ischemic heart disease generate a cost of 556 million euros, followed by stroke with 290 million euros and lung cancer with 229 million euros. «From an idea born to focus prevention initiatives in the field of public health in the ATS Brianza area – continues Luca Cavalieri d’Oro, head of the ATS Complex Epidemiology Structure – with the data provided by the Ministry of Health it was possible expand the evaluation on a national scale”.
The proposal: increase taxes on tobacco products
The evidence collected encouraged researchers to think about possible strategies to contain the problem. «A significant increase in the taxation of tobacco products, and consequently in prices, certainly represents the most effective policy for reducing tobacco consumption and the onset of smoking-related pathologies» comments Silvano Gallus, head of the Styles Research Laboratory of Life of the Mario Negri Institute. «In addition to the obvious health benefits, these economic policies also lead to a significant increase in tax revenues. Currently, thanks to excise duties, the Italian state collects billions of euros from tobacco sales. However, the health costs resulting from smoking weigh on individual regions. The possibility should therefore be considered – he proposes – of allowing the regions to apply additional excise duties on tobacco products, in order to balance the enormous health costs caused by smoking”.
