© 2003 BMJ Publishing Group & British Thoracic Society
EDITORIAL
Nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy in smoking cessation
Llandough Hospital, Penarth, Cardiff CF64 2XX, UK; ian.campbell@cardiffandvale.wales.nhs.uk
Evidence for benefit from nicotine replacement therapy in hospital patients is inconclusive, although the results of a trial reported in this issue of Thorax give cause for optimism and should stimulate further studies.
Keywords: smoking cessation; nicotine replacement therapy; hospital inpatients
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Most smokers become nicotine dependent and, when they stop smoking, experience withdrawal symptoms and craving. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) reduces these unpleasant symptoms and, theoretically, should decrease the risk of relapse. Smoking cessation is properly defined as validated sustained abstinence from cigarettes and/or other tobacco products for at least 6 months, but preferably for 1 year. This editorial includes evidence only from those studies which have applied such a definition and which have specified their settings and populations.
NRT is available as chewing gum, transdermal patches, sublingual tablets, lozenges, inhalation cartridges and nasal spray. In specialised cessation clinics1–8 and in primary care,9,10 prospective randomised clinical trials have shown that NRT, used as an adjunct to advice and support, results in better cessation rates than does advice and support alone. In the clinics success rates with NRT tend to be higher (11–30%) and more consistent than in primary
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
Relevant Article
- Airwaves
- Wisia Wedzicha
Thorax 2003 58: 463.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Tworek, C., Haskins, A., Woods, S.
(2009). Maine's Tobacco Medication Program: Compliance, patterns of use, and satisfaction among smokers. Nicotine Tob Res
11: 904-907
[Abstract] [Full Text]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- Citation Map
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
-
Health education
-
Smoking
-
Tobacco use
-
Smoking cessation
-
General practice / family medicine
- Relevant Article
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
