New research shows that even the grandfather should quit. Traditionally, the medical indications for smoking cessation were limited to young and middle-aged patients, making a push to exit at a later age a weak initiative.

The assumption was that older patients have more pressing health problems, and the potential benefits of smoking cessation in the elderly, although there may not be significant.

A new study, research, and the accompanying commentary published in the June Archives of Internal Medicine disproves this assumption and shows that the benefit of smoking cessation in the elderly is of great importance.

Dr. Carolyn Gellert and his colleagues combined data from 17 studies to examine the risk of death in patients aged 60 years and older. After accounting for differences such as alcohol consumption and physical activity between smokers and nonsmokers, they show that smoking contributes to 83% higher risk of death.

Elderly patients who quit smoking reduced the risk of death by approximately 25%. Even with the study of patients 80 years and older, researchers found that patients who stopped smoking in such an advanced age had a similar reduction in risk of death.

Smoking is a costly activity for the smoker and for our country. In 2008, the report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is a major risk factor for nearly one-third of cancer deaths and a major cause of heart disease. It is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. In addition, passive smoking increases the risk of his grandfather’s grandson’s development of lung disease. Smoking costs our country almost $ 25 billion in lost productivity every year.

For patients who want to quit smoking, the most effective strategies include a combination of counseling and medication. Patients should make an appointment with your doctor to help coordinate the process. Individuals can also visit www.smokefree.gov or call the free national quitline smoking, to get in touch with trained counselors who can help with the process.