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BENEFITS OF QUITTING SMOKING PERSIST AFTER AGE 65.

Although the health benefits of smoking cessation continue after age 65 in men and women with known coronary disease, it has been unclear whether the same is true in patients without known coronary disease.

This five-year prospective study followed 7178 disease- free persons over age 65 in three communities and compared mortality rates in current smokers, former smokers, and subjects who had never smoked. The relative risks for current smokers versus never-smokers (reported for men and women, respectively) were 2.1 and 1.8 for total mortality; 2.0 and 1.6 for cardiovascular mortality; and 2.4 and 2.4 for cancer mortality. The absolute excess risk of cardiovascular death was 14.5 deaths (men) and 5.8 deaths (women) per 1000 person-years. Compared with never-smokers, former smokers had higher rates of cancer-related deaths, but they had similar rates of cardiovascular-related deaths, regardless of the number of years since quitting or their age at cessation. Over the age of 75, smokers did not have clearly higher mortality than never-smokers.

This study strongly indicates that quitting smoking is beneficial in people aged 65 to 75 without known underlying coronary disease or malignancy. At least until you reach age 75, you're never too old to quit.

— ALK

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine June 14, 1991

Citation(s):

LaCroix AZ et al. Smoking and mortality among older men and women in three communities. N Engl J Med 1991 Jun 6 324 1619-1625.

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