title: [Is it useful to quit smoking in the elderly population? Yes! Smoking cessation is beneficial at any age].
abstract: Smoking prevalence remains high among the elderly. Mortality of older smokers is multiplied by 2 to 3 compared to subjects who had never smoked and 70 % of smoking-related deaths occur beyond 60 years. Smoking is a risk factor for premature death, including among older subjects, with a loss of at least 10 years of life expectancy compared to non-smokers. Smoking cessation increases life expectancy even in patients over 60 years, with a relative reduction in the risk of death of about 20 to 30 %, including beyond 80 years. The fastest and most important benefit is cardiovascular, particularly in the context of secondary prevention. This benefit increases with time since smoking cessation, hence the importance of the earliest possible withdrawal. Smoking cessation is not more difficult than in young subjects and the different therapeutic approaches have the same efficacy as in younger. It is essential to stop smoking as soon as possible, but there is no age beyond which it is totally unnecessary.
authors.affiliation: Groupe hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, institut de cardiologie, département de cardiologie médicale, 47, boulevard de l'hôpital, 75651 Paris cedex 13, France. daniel.thomas@psl.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000401:mortality; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention