Table 4.
Relative risk ratios of all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk among former smokers (by years since cessation) compared with never smokers, U.S. adults ages 35+ years
| Causes of Death | <5 Years |
5‒9 Years |
10‒19 Years |
20‒29 Years |
30+ Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Cause Mortality | 2.01*** | 1.74*** | 1.43*** | 1.16*** | 1.04* |
| Diseases Established as Caused by Smoking | |||||
| Lip and oral cavity cancer | 4.40*** | 2.85* | 1.55 | 0.74 | 0.67 |
| Esophageal cancer | 2.84*** | 1.84† | 1.72* | 1.80* | 0.87 |
| Stomach cancer | 2.01* | 2.55** | 1.91** | 1.03 | 1.14 |
| Colorectal cancer | 1.21 | 1.71*** | 0.94 | 1.11 | 1.02 |
| Liver cancer | 1.39 | 1.33 | 2.06*** | 0.86 | 1.87** |
| Pancreatic cancer | 1.93*** | 1.38 | 1.28 | 1.06 | 1.01 |
| Laryngeal cancer | 12.19*** | 9.59*** | 4.53** | 1.54 | 0.63 |
| Lung cancer | 14.16*** | 10.43*** | 5.99*** | 3.74*** | 1.99*** |
| Cervical cancer (women only) | 2.00 | 1.01 | 1.97 | 1.98 | —a |
| Urinary bladder cancer | 2.58** | 4.89*** | 4.01*** | 2.27*** | 2.41*** |
| Kidney and renal pelvis cancer | 2.27** | 1.66 | 0.95 | 1.48 | 1.26 |
| Acute myeloid leukemia | 1.12 | 2.62** | 1.64 | 1.82† | 1.25 |
| Diabetes | 1.90*** | 1.45** | 1.29** | 1.20† | 1.15 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 1.86*** | 1.53*** | 1.41*** | 1.12** | 0.98 |
| Other heart disease | 1.45*** | 1.36** | 1.19* | 0.91 | 1.08 |
| Stroke | 1.19† | 1.05 | 1.29** | 0.97 | 0.92 |
| Atherosclerosis | 2.36* | 1.10 | 1.54 | 1.31 | 1.17 |
| Aortic aneurysm | 3.74*** | 4.29*** | 2.93*** | 1.88* | 1.03 |
| Other arterial diseases | 1.78 | 2.00† | 2.42** | 1.66 | 0.96 |
| Pneumonia, influenza, and tuberculosis | 1.55** | 1.59** | 1.24† | 1.09 | 0.90 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 15.58*** | 12.10*** | 7.02*** | 4.0*** | 2.23*** |
| Additional Diseases Associated With Smoking | |||||
| All other infections | 1.39* | 1.32 | 1.19 | 1.38* | 1.06 |
| Breast cancer (women only) | 1.08 | 1.82*** | 1.13 | 1.24 | 0.67 |
| Prostate cancer (men only) | 1.20 | 1.21 | 1.31† | 1.09 | 0.89 |
| Rare cancers | 1.84*** | 1.45* | 1.26† | 1.16 | 1.19 |
| Cancers of unknown site | 2.26*** | 2.17** | 1.56* | 0.84 | 1.13 |
| Hypertensive heart disease | 1.27 | 1.20 | 0.85 | 1.09 | 0.75 |
| Essential hypertension/hypertensive renal disease | 1.28 | 1.60 | 1.11 | 0.67 | 1.11 |
| All other respiratory diseases | 1.47† | 1.99** | 1.66*** | 1.55** | 1.48** |
| Intestinal ischemia | 2.67** | 1.68 | 2.16** | 0.84 | 0.84 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 1.42 | 1.10 | 1.41† | 1.46 | 1.19 |
| All other digestive diseases | 1.79** | 1.86*** | 1.12 | 1.19 | 0.90 |
| Renal failure | 1.62** | 1.20 | 1.25† | 0.97 | 0.85 |
| Additional rare causes combined | 1.35 | 1.13 | 0.99 | 0.95 | 0.89 |
| Unknown causes | 2.69*** | 1.27 | 0.97 | 0.89 | 0.97 |
Notes: Survey years 1991 and 1993 do not measure time since smoking cessation among former smokers. Models adjust for sex, age, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, marital status, region, BMI, and health insurance status. Diseases established as caused by smoking are those recognized by the surgeon general (U.S. DHHS 2014). Additional diseases associated with smoking are those compiled by Carter et al. (2015).
Source: 1990–2011 NHIS-LMF
Too few deaths from cervical cancer occurred to estimate a risk ratio among former smokers who quit 30+ years ago.
p < .10
p < .05
p < .01
p < .001