Identification of the high-risk smoker

The burden of smoking-related disease can be reduced through smoking prevention and cessation. While physicians should counsel all patients who smoke, disease risks are not uniform among smokers. The smokers of the largest numbers of cigarettes are at greatest risk, as are those who started at younger ages. In addition, other factors determined the likelihood of developing a smoking-related disease. Physicians can use the combination of smoking with these additional risk factors to target smokers for intervention, whether education, cessation, or appropriate screening.