Opina MTD, et al. - The effect of respiratory symptoms in current and former smokers with and without obstructive lung disease (OLD) on all-cause mortality was investigated in this analysis. The study sample consisted of 596 participants with a history of current and former smoking (aged 70 to 79 years) who were followed for 13 years. Findings suggested an association of OLD with a high risk of death, with different risk profiles based on symptom group. Participants without OLD but who had dyspnea exhibited similar death risk compared with subjects with OLD but fewer symptoms.