On Double Ninth Festival yesterday, the National Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said elderly people who habitually smoke tobacco have an increased risk of developing cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as death from heart diseases and other causes, compared with those who do not smoke.
Citing a WHO factsheet issued in July, the HPA said tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Older people are more likely to be taking multiple medications for chronic diseases, and studies have suggested that some chemicals in tobacco smoke may interact with certain medications, which could cause a worsening of health conditions, it said.
Photo: Liu Pin-chuan, Taipei Times
Citing other studies, the HPA said elderly people who habitually smoke tobacco have a 60 percent increase in the risk of death from heart diseases and an 83 percent increase in mortality risk, compared with those who do not smoke.
The studies also suggest that the risks of developing cancer and cancer mortality in elderly people who smoke tobacco are increased by 1.4 times and 2.2 times respectively, while the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is increased by 1.6 times, compared with elderly people who do not smoke, it said.
The HPA said that compared with young people, elderly people’s health improvements may be slower after they quit smoking, but it is still the most effective way to reduce the risk of smoking-related illnesses and improve overall health, and that even a 60-year-old smoker could increase life expectancy by 30 percent if they quit smoking.
Therefore, it urged family members of elderly smokers to encourage them to quit smoking for better health, and often accompany them and show them support during the quitting process, as some studies have also suggested that loneliness is a psychosocial aspect related to tobacco use, which hinders smoking cessation in elderly people.
The HPA shared a case of a 78-year-old man who had used the administration’s toll-free smoking cessation consultation hotline (0800-636-363) and successfully quit his chronic smoking habit.
The 78-year-old man, surnamed Hsu (許), said he began smoking while doing his compulsory military service more than 50 years ago, but in July last year, one day he suddenly fell ill after eating breakfast and went to see a doctor, and was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome.
The doctor also urged him to quit smoking to save his lungs. After his near-death experience, Hsu said he called the HPA’s smoking cessation consultation hotline and told the consultant about his failed attempts and difficulties to quit smoking, and this time he successfully quit smoking after about six months.
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