A preliminary study on pain perception and tobacco smoking

Ischaemic pain onset and tolerance in response to a pneumatic blood pressure cuff were compared in 17 non-deprived smokers, 30 deprived smokers, 15 smokers chewing nicotine gum and 16 non-smokers. Following removal of the cuff, all subjects completed the McGill pain questionnaire, rating pain in terms of its sensory, affective, evaluative and miscellaneous qualities. Group differences were found in the time elapsing before reporting the first twinge of pain. Non-deprived smokers had the shortest period to onset of pain. The longer the smokers had been deprived of cigarettes, the longer before the onset of pain. Non-deprived smokers also had a significantly shorter period of pain tolerance compared to deprived smokers. Non-deprived smokers tended to have a faster pain onset and a shorter tolerance period compared to non-smokers. Smokers' indices of pain were significantly higher on the several sub-scales describing the qualitative pain experience compared to non-smokers and to smokers deprived of cigarettes for more than one hour. Deprivation of cigarettes appears to diminish smokers' sensitivity to pain significantly below that of non-smokers and smoking cigarettes tends to heighten sensitivity to, or beyond, the level of non-smokers.