Smoking is a chronic addictive disease that affects around 25% of the Spanish population older than 15 years. Being the age of onset in their very early consumption, since in Spain they start smoking at 13,9 years, according to data included in the 2009-2016 period (The source is the Alcohol and Drug Survey Program in the general population in Spain (AGES) The 70% of smokers want to quit smoking, but only 10% reaches abstinence after one year.
Tobacco causes 60.000 deaths annually and more than 160 daily, and the vast majority of mortality is attributed to respiratory diseases. In addition, its consumption is the main cause of preventable mortality in the world, mainly due to diseases of the respiratory system, cardiovascular diseases and various neoplasms, such as lung cancer, but also bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas, colon, rectum , and cervix or cervix, as well as acute myeloid leukemia.
High recidivism rate
"It depends on the type of smoker but when the dependency is high without professional support only around the 3-5% it gets it", clarifies Dr. María del Mar García, of the Pulmonology Unit of HLA San Carlos, and adds that "nowadays there are several proven treatments for smoking cessation".
Currently in Spain, several options are available for the treatment of smoking cessation. These include: nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), where nicotine is given in decreasing doses and by a different route to smoking (chewing gum, patches, tablets ...), with sufficient doses to counteract the withdrawal syndrome and without creating dependence .
Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant that improves the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome. Although it is still considered a first-line drug, its use has been limited by the risk of interactions with multiple drugs and by the risk of side effects in certain groups of patients.
And, finally, Varenicline is the first drug designed specifically for the treatment of smoking, which improves the withdrawal syndrome and craving (desire and desire to consume). On the other hand, due to its mechanism of action, the reward associated with nicotine consumption decreases. This treatment has a high safety profile, its side effects are mild and remit with time. “En monoterapia es el tratamiento más eficaz para el abandono del tabaco, prácticamente triplicando la eficacia frente al placebo, siendo mayor que con bupropión y TSN en monoterapia», details the professional.
Stop smoking with HLA San Carlos
That's why the HLA Pneumology Unit San Carlos Office makes available to patients a specific consultation for smoking cessation where smoking is addressed in an integral way.
Among the aspects that are taken into account in the initial assessment, are the identification of the phase of abandonment, the general clinical history, the history of smoking, complementary explorations and the completion of questionnaires necessary for an adequate diagnosis of smoking, such as those They measure motivation, dependence, self-esteem ... This assessment often serves as a "screening" of many lung diseases, which from now on would be treatable as the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or incidental pathological findings in the radiography of chest.
For this reason, the Pneumology Unit of HLA San Carlos offers patients a specific consultation for smoking cessation where smoking is addressed in an integral manner, conducting studies to rule out respiratory pathologies in smoking patients.
Once this phase is completed, the treatment of smoking adapted to the characteristics of each smoker will be carried out. In addition to a subsequent follow-up where problems or doubts are addressed with medication, information is offered about changes in habits and lifestyles to avoid risk situations, motivations are reinforced, control of weight gain is carried out and risk situations are assessed and relapse prevention, among others.
