Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation
Basics
Use of tobacco of any form
Description
- Nicotine sources: cigars, pipes, water pipes, hookahs, cigarettes, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)
- Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use is on the rise.
- E-cigarettes are called e-cigs, vapes, ehookahs, vape pens, and electronic nicotine delivery systems.
Epidemiology
Smoking causes more deaths each year than alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, illegal drug use, and firearm-related injuries combined.
Incidence
- 2.4 million new smokers annually in the United States
- 59% of new smokers are <18 years of age (6% initiation rate for teens).
Prevalence
- Age: highest among those ages 45 to 64 years (16%)
- Gender: male > female (15% vs. 12%)
- Cigarette smoking among adults has declined significantly since the 1960s.
- Cigarette smoking is responsible for >480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including >41,000 deaths from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about 1 in 5 deaths annually or 1,300 deaths every day.
- Each day, about 2,000 people <18 years smoke their first cigarette.
- Each day, about 1,600 youth try their first cigarette.
- In 2018, 21% of high school students reported current use of e-cigarettes.
- In 2019, 14% of all adults (34.1 million people) currently smoked cigarettes: 15.3% in men, 12.7% of women.
- 5% of middle school students report current e-cigarette use.
Etiology and Pathophysiology
- Addiction due to nicotine’s rapid stimulation of the brain’s dopamine system (teenage brain especially susceptible)
- Atherosclerotic risk due to adrenergic stimulation, endothelial damage, carbon monoxide, and adverse effects on lipids
- Direct airway damage from cigarette tar.
- Carcinogens in all tobacco products
- E-cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating liquid nicotine, flavoring, and chemicals.
- Potential adverse effects of e-cigarettes are related to exposure to nicotine as well as to other vapor components produced by the devices.
- If e-cigarette, or vaping product, use is suspected as a possible etiology of a patient’s lung injury, obtain detailed history regarding:
- Substance(s) used: nicotine, cannabinoids (e.g., marijuana, THC, THC concentrates, CBD, CBD oil, synthetic cannabinoids [e.g., K2 or spice], hash oil, Dank vapes), flavors, or other substances
- Substance source(s): commercially available liquids, homemade liquids
- Device(s) used: manufacturer; brand name; product name; model
- Vitamin E acetate is strongly linked to the EVALI outbreaks.
- Most product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) associated with products containing THC
Risk Factors
- Presence of a smoker in the household
- Easy access to cigarettes
- Comorbid stress and psychiatric disorders
- Low self-esteem/self-worth
- Poor academic performance
- Boys: high levels of aggression and rebelliousness
- Girls: preoccupation with weight and body image
- E-cigarette use has been associated with several cases of idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia.
General Prevention
- Most first-time tobacco use occurs before high school graduation.
- Smoking bans in public areas and workplaces
- Restrict minors’ access to tobacco
- Restrict tobacco advertisements
- Tobacco-free sports initiatives
- The evidence on pharmacotherapy interventions for tobacco smoking cessation in pregnancy is insufficient.
- Current evidence is insufficient to recommend use e-cigarettes for tobacco cessation in adults.
Commonly Associated Conditions
- Coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cancer of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, lung, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, urinary bladder, cervix, and blood
- Pneumonia, osteoporosis
- Periodontitis
- Alcohol use
- Depression and anxiety, reduced fertility
Pregnancy Considerations
Smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, congenital anomalies, stillbirth, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, placental abruption.
Pediatric Considerations
Secondhand smoke increases the risk for:
- Sudden infant death syndrome
- Acute upper and lower respiratory tract infections, exacerbations of asthma, otitis media
- Nicotine passes through breast milk.
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Citation
Domino, Frank J., et al., editors. "Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation." 5-Minute Clinical Consult, 27th ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2020. Medicine Central, im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116879/all/Tobacco_Use_and_Smoking_Cessation.
Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation. In: Domino FJF, Baldor RAR, Golding JJ, et al, eds. 5-Minute Clinical Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2020. https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116879/all/Tobacco_Use_and_Smoking_Cessation. Accessed May 28, 2023.
Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation. (2020). In Domino, F. J., Baldor, R. A., Golding, J., & Stephens, M. B. (Eds.), 5-Minute Clinical Consult (27th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116879/all/Tobacco_Use_and_Smoking_Cessation
Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation [Internet]. In: Domino FJF, Baldor RAR, Golding JJ, Stephens MBM, editors. 5-Minute Clinical Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2020. [cited 2023 May 28]. Available from: https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116879/all/Tobacco_Use_and_Smoking_Cessation.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Tobacco Use and Smoking Cessation
ID - 116879
ED - Domino,Frank J,
ED - Baldor,Robert A,
ED - Golding,Jeremy,
ED - Stephens,Mark B,
BT - 5-Minute Clinical Consult, Updating
UR - https://im.unboundmedicine.com/medicine/view/5-Minute-Clinical-Consult/116879/all/Tobacco_Use_and_Smoking_Cessation
PB - Wolters Kluwer
ET - 27
DB - Medicine Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -