The Lung Health Study previously reported that an aggressive smoking cessation intervention significantly reduced the decline of the forced expiratory volume in 1 sec in middle-aged patients without clinical symptoms, but with mild airway obstruction. This effect was the most evident during the first year after quitting smoking and moreover, persisted over the study period (5 years). In the current report, the impact of smoking cessation on mortality and morbidity was assessed in the same population. Being male, age, higher blood diastolic blood pressure were the main mortality risk-factors, whereas being female and alcohol consumption were risk-factors for subsequent respiratory disease.