Smoking influence on mortality: the 40 years' follow up results of the Serbian cohorts of the seven countries studies

Purpose: The Seven Countries Study remains one of the landmark epidemiological studies. It encompassed over 12.000 men on 3 continents in a total of 12 cohorts in 7 countries with a follow up going beyond 5 decades and with a response rate nearing 95% worldwide. Its highly detailed design and systematic follow up, enables us nowadays to assess different aspects of the presence and impact of various risk factors on a myriad of outcomes. In this particular case, we sought to determine influence of smoking on overall and coronary artery disease mortality.