Quitting smoking might be hard, but not quitting is even
harder.
That is the reality for elderly smokers who risk an early grave
if they do not kick the habit, a four-year study by The University
of Hong Kong, has said.
The study challenged some common misconceptions among elderly
smokers who believe that quitting cigarettes will kill them.
The study compared the risk of death for 56,000 smokers and
non-smokers aged 65 and above who had registered at the department
of health's 18 elderly healthcare centers between July 1998 and
December 2000.
The study found that compared to non-smokers, elderly smokers
were more likely to die from cancer, cardiovascular or respiratory
diseases.
While ex-smokers were found to be 50 percent more likely to die
from cancer than non-smokers, those who continued to smoke were
found to be more than twice as likely to succumb to the
disease.
The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was increased by
almost 25 percent for former smokers and to more than twice that
figure for those who keep on puffing.
Quitting smoking on the other hand, reduced the risk of death by
20 percent.
"The study implies that old people face a high risk of death if
they keep smoking," Lam Tai-hing, head of the university's
department of community medicine, said.
The reality that smoking kills even changed the mistaken ideas
of 78-year-old Keung, who once believed, like many smokers his age,
that he would die if he quit.
He quit three years ago after smoking for more than 60
years.
"After years of smoking my health had been deteriorating. I had
difficulty breathing and I even fainted twice on the street," Keung
said.
"My doctor told me I would die if I didn't quit."
Since quitting, his health has improved immensely, he said.
"I'm happy that I will be able to see my grandson graduate this
year," he said.
Professor Lam said: "The misconception that quitting is harmful
is common in developing countries and regions where people are not
aware that smoking is bad for their health."
Lam said it is generally easier for old smokers to quit because
many of them had already felt the harmful effects of
cigarettes.
(China Daily January 10, 2008)