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Serum thiocyanate, smoking habits and smoking cessation trial in patients with peripheral atherosclerosis
Insights
Smoking is prevalent in patients with lower limb atherosclerosis. Advising patients to quit smoking yielded disappointing results, with few stopping and some resuming the habit.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Medicine
- Cardiovascular Health
- Smoking Cessation Research
Background:
- Atherosclerosis in the lower limbs is a significant vascular condition.
- Smoking is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.
- Understanding smoking habits in this patient group is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate smoking habits among patients with lower limb atherosclerosis.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of advising these patients to quit smoking.
Main Methods:
- Self-reported cigarette consumption per day.
- Serum thiocyanate level determination to verify smoking status.
- Assessment of smoking cessation rates after intervention.
Main Results:
- High prevalence of smokers and ex-smokers (96% males, 70% females).
- Smokers underestimated their consumption; serum thiocyanate indicated heavy smoking.
- Advising cessation was largely ineffective: max 15% quit, some ex-smokers relapsed.
Conclusions:
- Patients with lower limb atherosclerosis exhibit significant smoking behaviors.
- Current advice to quit smoking has limited impact on this population.
- Further research into effective smoking cessation strategies for vascular patients is warranted.
Abstract:
The smoking habits in patients with atherosclerosis in the lower limbs and the effect of advising them to stop smoking was studied by means of self-declaration of the number of cigarettes smoked per day and determination of serum thiocyanate. Ninety-six per cent of males and 70 per cent of the females were smokers or ex-smokers. The number of years of smoking was about 40 for the smokers of both sexes and the male ex-smokers and 23 for the female ex-smokers. The number of cigarettes smoked per day reported by the patients was less than that reported by the smokers in a reference population. The serum thiocyanate levels confirmed the smoking status of the non-smokers and showed that about one-sixth of the ex-smokers had smoked in the last month prior to the study, and that the smokers on the average were heavy smokers smoking much more than the self-reported number of cigarettes. The effect of advising the patients to quit smoking was very disappointing. A maximum of 15 per cent of the smokers stopped smoking while some of the ex-smokers resumed smoking.