"Smoking Cessation Treatment Without Previous Reduction Has No Benefits" - A Patient'S Myth Or Truth?

Introduction: Cigarette smoking has a considerable health and economic burden in modern society, with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. In our clinical practice, patients frequently refuse pharmacological treatment, believing they won’t be able to succeed unless they reduce their habits first. Objectives: Compare the outcome of smokers that initiated pharmacological treatment with no previous cigarette reduction (NR) with smokers that initiated treatment after cigarette reduction (WR). Methods: We selected all patients that started smoking cessation consultation at our Hospital (April-December 2018), and divided them in two groups: NR (Group 1) and WR (Group 2). Results: 175 patients were selected (41,1% women), with mean age of 53±12 years-old. Group 1 had 88 patients (47,7% women) and Group 2 74 patients (35,1% women), with mean age of 50±10 and 54±12 years-old, respectively. Group 1 had less lung diseases (p=0,002), lower smoking load (p=0,001), less hospital appointments until quitting (p<0,001) and started treatment in the first consultation more often (p=0,005). Group 2 had significant less contact with smokers at home (p=0,012) and presented higher smoking cessation rates (p=0,023). There was no significant difference in smoking dependence, motivation to quit nor pharmacological treatment approach between groups. In multivariate analysis, we found no independent predictors of cessation. Conclusion: Patients WR had higher cessation rates, and so, this study may help health care providers to consider the best timing to start treatment.