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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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© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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