The Practitioner - 1868-2018: Supporting general practitioners for 150 years

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Practitioner CPD prompts to action

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These templates*, associated with all articles, prompt drafting of personal learning, reflection and planning.

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Clinical reviews: Smoking cessation

Can nicotine preloading help smokers quit?

25 Jul 2018 Registered users

The use of a nicotine patch before quitting may have a modest effect on abstinence, a large pragmatic randomised trial has found. A total of 1,792 adults were enrolled from Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, and London.

Quitting smoking improves survival in patients with lung cancer

22 Mar 2018 Registered users

Patients with lung cancer who stop smoking have lower all cause mortality rates compared with those who continue to smoke, a UK retrospective cohort study has found.

Increase in smoking cessation rates associated with rise in e-cigarette use

23 Oct 2017 Registered users

E-cigarette use linked to successful quit attempts

22 Mar 2017 Paid-up subscribers

Adolescents who use e-cigarettes more likely to start smoking

22 Feb 2016 Registered users

More about

Editorials

Risk of acute STEMI significantly increased in younger smokers

23 Jan 2017 Registered users

Smoking is associated with an eight-fold increased risk of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in those under 50 compared with former and never smokers, a UK study has found. However, the incidence of acute STEMI in former smokers was similar to that in those who had never smoked, adding further evidence to the benefits of quitting smoking.

Abrupt smoking cessation more effective than cutting down

23 Sep 2016 Paid-up subscribers

A large UK trial found clear evidence that quitting smoking abruptly was superior in both the short- and longer-term to gradual cessation. The researchers concluded that in clinical practice patients should be encouraged to stop smoking abruptly and not gradually.

Active and passive smoking linked to infertility and early menopause

25 Jan 2016 Registered users

Exposure to tobacco smoke through passive as well as active smoking is associated with an increased risk of infertility and menopause occurring before the age of 50, a large observational study has shown. This is the first study to assess the impact of second-hand smoking on infertility and age of menopause.

Smoking-related deaths linked to a wider range of diseases

23 Apr 2015 Registered users

Taking data from five large US cohort studies, the authors of this present study posed the question: ‘Do current official estimates underestimate the deaths caused by smoking?' Overall, the excess mortality for smokers within the study population was 2.8 times that of never smokers and 17% of excess mortality was related to diseases not formally associated with smoking.

Second-hand smoke in the home more harmful than air pollution

24 Nov 2014 Registered users

Pollution caused by fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is around ten times higher in homes where people smoke indoors compared with non-smoking homes, a study from Scotland has found. Furthermore, home air pollution from smoking appears to dwarf that from outdoor sources. Approximately 20% of those living in smoking homes in Scotland will inhale a lifetime mass of PM_2.5 greater than the median value predicted for a non-smoker living in a heavily polluted urban setting.

Smoking cessation improves anxiety and depression

20 Mar 2014 Paid-up subscribers

Smokers with a history of anxiety, mood or alcohol use disorders are significantly more likely to be in remission three years later if they quit smoking, an American study has found. Smoking cessation may increase the likelihood of remission, but equally, those who recover may find it easier to quit smoking.

Weighing up the risks and benefits of smoking cessation therapies

05 Dec 2013 Paid-up subscribers

A prospective cohort study from the UK has found no evidence that varenicline or bupropion raise the risk of depression, self harm or suicide.

Special reports

GPs have key role in helping patients to stop smoking

23 May 2012 Paid-up subscribers

18% of all deaths in adults aged 35 or over in England are still attributable to smoking. Almost all these premature deaths could be avoided if smokers stopped before their mid-thirties but only a quarter of people who have ever smoked regularly manage to quit by this age. GP advice is one of the most important triggers to a smoker making an attempt to quit. Evidence shows that offering help to all smokers is easier, quicker and likely to be more effective than just advising smokers to stop or asking whether they are interested in quitting.