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Elderly smokers in poor health

 By Susan Aldridge, PhD

Health and Age, April 23,2003

A new study shows that elderly and disabled patients who smoke are in poorer physical and mental health than those who have never smoked.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed a group of 134,309 people over 65 and 8,640 disabled Medicare managed care patients to assess the impact that smoking has. They found that smoking ages people, in terms of health.

Smokers had, on the whole, physical health of a level expected for individuals two to four years older than their actual age. In mental health, they scored on the level of someone ten years older. Disabled smokers had a physical health level eight to ten years older than their actual age.

Quitting smoking did restore health to a certain extent. Long-term quitters had mental health levels similar to those who'd never smoked, though their physical health was poorer. Recent quitters fared worst - having the highest levels of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer and asthma. It may be that these conditions had forced them to give up smoking - and, in the long-term, their health would improve. The study underlines the importance of quitting smoking to help promote active longevity and quality of life.

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