Respiratory Symptoms Are Associated With Frailty in Older Adults With Normal Spirometry, Independent of Smoking, in the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have demonstrated that even in the absence of lung impairment as determined by spirometry, smoking and respiratory symptoms are associated with poor overall health and well-being. However, this relationship is not well defined; and it remains unclear the degree to which symptoms are related to poor health, independent of smoking. This is of particular importance to older adults, as they are more likely to exhibit …