Article Abstract:
It is well established that smoking is a major risk factor for both heart disease and lung cancer in middle-aged people. However, four fifths of all deaths from heart disease occur in people over 65, as do two thirds of all cancer deaths. It is less certain that smoking exerts a significant health effect on this age group. The available evidence has been interpreted by some as suggesting that long-term smokers who survive middle age are at no more risk than nonsmokers. Others debate this suggestion. To resolve the question, a prospective study was begun on 7,178 people 65 or older who had no history of heart disease, stroke, or cancer. During the next five years, 1,442 of the subjects died; 729 of these deaths were the result of heart disease and 316 deaths were due to cancer. An analysis of the data indicated that the risk of premature death was roughly twice as great for the current smokers as for those who had never smoked. The relative risk of death from heart disease for men who smoked was 2.0 times the risk of men who never smoked, and the risk among women was 1.4 times that of women who never smoked. Similarly, the relative risk of death from cancer was 2.4 times as great in smokers than nonsmokers, for both women and men. The study also found that former smokers had approximately the same risks of heart disease and death as people who had never smoked. These results not only confirm that smoking is a significant health hazard even among older people, but also that quitting smoking significantly reduces this risk. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
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Article Abstract:
Low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) appear to increase the risk of death from coronary heart disease (CHD) in older people. Between 1987 and 1989, researchers interviewed and took blood samples from 3,904 people who were at least 71 years of age. After a median follow-up period of 4.4 years, people with low HDL-C levels were 2.5 times more likely to die from CHD than people with higher HDL-C levels, independent of other CHD risk factors. Compared to their same gender counterparts with higher HDL-C levels, men with low HDL-C were nearly five times more likely to die of CHD and women with low HDL-C were twice as likely to die of CHD. Low HDL-C increased the risk of chest pain, heart attacks, or sudden death among men and women with no history of a heart attack or recent CHD hospitalization. High total cholesterol levels were associated with an increased risk of death from CHD in women, but not in men.
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Article Abstract:
A study conducted to determine the effect of estrogen therapy in healthy postmenopausal women on gallbladder disease outcomes is reported. The results suggest an increase in risk of biliary tract disease among postmenopausal women using estrogen therapy.
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