Smoking habits of patients with Type 2 diabetes

✍ Scribed by Ismail, AL ;Gill, GV ;Houghton, GM

• Book ID: 104514748
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 386 KB
• Volume: 15
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1357-8170
• DOI: 10.1002/pdi.1960150706

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

To assess in detail the smoking habits of patients with Type 2 diabetes, we studied 299 such patients over a four month period in a large diabetes clinic, using a structured questionnaire. Mean age (±SD) was 63± 10yr, duration of diabetes was 9±7yr, and 51% were male. There were 23% cigarette smokers, compared with an age‐adjusted general UK rate of 17%. Smoking was more common amongst males (30% vs 21%, p <0.001) and men smoked more cigarettes per day than women (18± 12 vs 12± 10), though not significantly. Most smokers of both sexes started smoking as teenagers. Use of ‘strong’cigarettes (high tar and nicotine content) was common, and cost analysis showed that the study cohort was spending £22,181 per year on cigarettes. Extrapolating this to our total clinic of 3,028 patients (74% of whom have Type 2 diabetes), the annual expenditure was estimated at £226,707. We conclude that smoking rates in Type 2 diabetes appear as high as non‐diabetic rates. The smoking ‘load’ (number per day and strength of cigarette) is high and expenditure enormous. A search for effective means of helping smoking cessation is urgently needed.