Smoking linked to frailty in older adults
Smoking increases the risk of developing a number of diseases , such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease, all of which can potentially have negative effects on people's physical, psychological and social health. Frailty is considered a precursor to, but a distinct state from, disability. Frailty is a condition associated with decreased physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. The outcomes include falls, fractures, disability, hospitalisation and institutionalisation. Frailty has also been shown to be linked to worse psychological or cognitive outcomes, such as poor quality of life and dementia. Due to the potential for reversibility of frailty, identifying potentially modifiable risk factors of frailty may help to develop strategies to prevent or slow progression of adverse health outcomes associated with both frailty and smoking. Researchers here aimed to exami...