In a new study, researchers found that respiratory health conditions may predict a short life expectancy in older people.
Some respiratory symptoms may predict that an earlier death in older adults.
The research was conducted by a team from Monash University in Australia.
In the study, the team examined 2087 older people and tracked their health for 22 years.
They found that shortness of breath could predict a shorter life expectancy irrespective of smoking.
In addition, cough in former smokers and wheeze in current smokers predicted shorter life expectancy.
The estimated remaining life expectancy of a 70-year-old male never smoker with no symptoms was 16.6 years.
The years of life lost for a 70-year-old male current smoker with cough, shortness of breath, and wheeze compared with a never smoker with no symptoms was 4.93 years.
About 3 years was attributed to their current smoking and the remainder to their respiratory symptoms.
The findings suggest that respiratory symptoms are recognizable to patients and may be used as markers of chronic disease and death risk.
Common symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough and wheeze should not be ignored.
The team says that if older people are experiencing even mild respiratory symptoms, they may benefit from visiting their doctors for further checks.
The lead author of the study is Kate Petrie from Monash University,
The study is published in the journal Respirology.
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