Impact of smoking on mortality in 80-year-old Japanese from the general population

It is well known that cigarette smoking is the main health hazard in middle-aged people.However, data regarding smoking and health in old-aged people are limited, especially in the Japanese population.

The present study aimed to investigate the influence of smoking on mortality in the elderly Japanese population.

A cohort of 690 individuals of 80 years of age were categorized into 3 groups: non-smokers, ex-smokers and current smokers. The adjusted mortality after 4 years was compared among the 3 groups. The possible influence of smoking status on the cause of death was also investigated.

The overall mortality was significantly higher in males [relative risk (RR): 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0-5.2] and females (RR: 4.2, 95% CI: 1.9-9.5) in the current-smoker group than in the non-smoker group. The risk of any-cause mortality in the ex-smoker group was not statistically different from that in the non-smoker group. In males, current smokers died of cancer more frequently than non-smokers (RR: 10.7, 95% CI: 1.3-90.8). Cardiovascular disease was a significant cause of death in female current smokers (RR: 5.2, 95% CI: 1.6-16.9). This difference in mortality was not observed between groups of non-smokers and ex-smokers of both genders. In male smokers, there was a positive relationship between the daily amount of consumed cigarettes and overall mortality.

Smokers should be encouraged to stop smoking, since habitual smoking increases the risk of mortality even in old age.