Health benefits for smokers who quit

Stopping smoking has substantial immediate and long-term health benefits for smokers. The excess risk of death from smoking falls soon after cessation and the onset of the initial benefits from smoking cessation are rapid. However, it takes up to 15 years for the former smoker to approach or completely revert to the life expectancy of a non-smoking individual.
The increased risk of death from smoking begins falling shortly after quitting, and the initial benefits from smoking cessation rapidly become apparent. Although it may take as long as 15 years for the overall health status and mortality risk to return to a non-smoking level, former smokers live longer than continuing smokers, no matter at what age they stop smoking.
Smokers who stop at age 50 halve the hazard and those that stop before 30 avoid almost all of the hazard. As for the increased morbidity, the rate and extent of reduction of risk varies between diseases. For example, in the case of lung cancer, the risk falls over 10 years to about 30-50% of that of continuing smokers, but the risk remains raised even 20 years after quitting. Stopping smoking before the age of 30 removes 90% of the lifelong risk of lung cancer, but quitting at any age is still beneficial.
Within a year of quitting, the increase in heart disease mortality due to smoking is halved, and within 15 years, the absolute risk is almost the same as in individuals who have never smoked. Smoking cessation also reduces the risk of death after a stroke and of death from pneumonia and influenza.
Cessation results in a small increase in lung function compared to those who continue to smoke who have an accelerated rate of decline in lung function with age. Upon smoking cessation, the smokers’ rate of decline in lung function reverts to that in non-smokers.
The PESCE study concluded that if ten countries out of the 27 project countries could achieve a 3% reduction in the number of people smoking, then by 2030 there would be over 4,000 fewer deaths per year from chronic heart disease, COPD, lung cancer and stroke alone. Reductions in the incidence of these four diseases would lead to healthcare cost savings in the EU of over 160 million Euros.