Smoking and Health in Old Age

Abstract

The implications for health of smoking habits at entry were evaluated in a 10-year longitudinal study of a population of men and women aged exactly 70 at entry and otherwise elected only according to geography. Seventy-six per cent of the men and 39% of the women were smokers at 70, 32% of the male and 20% of the female smokers were inhalers. In men, heavy smoking (.gtoreq. 15 g tobacco per day and inhalation) was statistically associated with low systolic blood pressure, intermittent claudication, chronic bronchitis, low body mass index and low serum insulin, but not with forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1). In the 10-year follow-up period heavy smoking in men was associated with excess total mortality, excess mortality from malignant neoplasms, excess mortality from non-malignant pulmonary disease and increased decrease in FEV1. In women, but not in men, inhalation was statistically associated with excess total mortality.