Does increased nicotine addiction and increased cancer (tobacco related) prevalence in a specific community can be cited as an example of syndemic ?
Dear Rooban
Please ask a colleague who speak English to help translate your question - as it is, it does not give much meaning
I think I know what you are asking. Syndemic according to medical dictionary is: A set of linked health problems involving two or more afflictions, interacting synergistically, and contributing to excess burden of disease in a population. Syndemics occur when health-related problems cluster by person, place, or time. For example, the SAVA syndemic is comprised of substance abuse, violence, and AIDS, three conditions that disproportionately afflict those living in poverty in US cities. To prevent a syndemic, one must prevent or control not only each affliction but also the forces that tie those afflictions together. From syn-, together + (epi)-demic.
So your connecting nicotine, tobacco and cancer does make sense. It is a new idea and worth debating and discussing.
Cheers
PS: Drinking Smoke by Mac Marshall, University of Hawaii Press might be of your interest
Thank you for clarifying Madam. Elimination of tobacco cannot be handled without addressing the addiction component. Going cold turkey does not work for all
I would say no since the nicotine addiction is a causative factor for the cancer. My understanding of a syndemic is two concurrent or sequential epidemics with interaction. In this case the cancer epidemic does not make the nicotine addiction epidemic worse although the opposite is true. Concurrent increasing prevalence of nicotine addiction and alcohol abuse would be a syndemic since there is interaction between them and there likely are some similar causative factors.
I agree that Nicotine addiction predisposes to cancer. It does not involve in the oncogenesis pathway but causes the mutation in DNAs. Like industry cites, all cancer are not caused by tobacco and all tobacco users do not land with cancer.
Addiction and cancer, for tobacco work at different pathway.. Like Violence and Substance Abuse. It is a common knowledge that under influence of substance, a reasonable proportion of population indulge in violence. Here substance abuse is a predisposing factor with high odds.
So, my point of view is that nicotine addiction may predispose to cancer. The factors that causes nicotine addiction may not promote cancer. For example diet/ income factors. A smoker with high quality diet may have less chance of landing with cancer while a not so privileged smoker may land with cancer. So other factors, including social factors plays a role. Hence the question of syndemic.
Another example is syndemic of HIV and TB. Immunosupression in HIV predisposes to TB - which is an accepted fact!!
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