Smoking Case

A 40-Year-Old Who Smokes Three Packs of Cigarettes a Day, comes to your office for his routine health maintenance assessment. He states that he would like to quit smoking but is having great difficulty.

  • He has tried three times before, but he says, “Pressures at work mounted up, and I just had to go back to smoking.”
  • The patient has a history of mild hypertension. His blood cholesterol level is normal.
  • His family history is significant for premature cardiovascular disease and death.

Which of the following disease(s) has (have) been linked to cigarette smoking?

  • a. carcinoma of the larynx
  • b. hypertension
  • c. abruptio placentae
  • d. Alzheimer disease

Which is the most important factor in determining the success of a smoking cessation program in an individual?

  1. the desire of the patient to quit smoking
  2. a pharmacologic agent as a part of the smoking cessation program
  3. the inclusion of a behavior modification component to the program
  4. physician advice to quit smoking
  5. repeated office visits.