[Effects of smoking habits on pulmonary function. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in male subjects on medical check-up].
Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were done to evaluate effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation on age-related pulmonary function decline. Data on pulmonary function from 11,875 healthy asymptomatic men between the ages of 35 and 74 years were analyzed on the basis of smoking habits in each age group. Longitudinal changes in pulmonary function during a 5-yr period were also assessed in relation to smoking habits in 1888 healthy men. Cross-sectional studies showed that the difference of FEV1 between man current smokers and men who had never smoked is small at younger ages but increases with increases in age. A beneficial effect on FEV1 decline was observed in former smokers, even in less than 1 year after smoking cessation. Longitudinally, current smokers showed a more rapid decline in FEV1 in 5 years than nonsmokers. The men who quitted smoking had lower rates of decline in FEV1 than those who continued to smoke. These results indicate that cigarette smoking is associated with reduced pulmonary function and that smoking cessation may have a beneficial effect on FEV1 decline. Provision of a smoking cessation program for all smokers, especially those with a rapid decline of FEV1, should be considered a very important strategy to prevent progression of COPD.
Omori
Hisamitsu
H
Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Health Care Center, 2-1-1 Nagamineminami, Kumamoto, 862-8528, Japan.
Morimoto
Yasuo
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000209:etiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation