Writing in the article, Thomas K. Houston, MD, MPH, explains, "The positive association of smoking cessation counseling with survival that we observed provides evidence for an association suggested, but not directly demonstrated, by previous reports on the impact of counseling on cessation and the impact of cessation on mortality. In addition, the association of counseling with mortality was seen early, within 30 days. A major conclusion of the U.S. Surgeon General's report Health Effects of Smoking Cessation is that quitting smoking has an immediate effect on mortality. However, the 'immediate' effect referred to is the reduction in mortality over the first year of cessation. Our research suggests an even more immediate positive association within 30 days of quitting after a cardiac event. Because we observed much of the overall difference in mortality by smoking cessation counseling early, an alternative strategy for risk reduction in those patients unwilling to quit for good would be to recommend, at a minimum, to maintain the in-hospital mandated smoking deprivation for a brief period after discharge."
Many states are already beginning to pay for anti-smoking counseling. The Centers for Disease Control encourage physician intervention to encourage patients to give up smoking. This study will add strong support to those efforts.
The study is reported in "Post-myocardial Infarction Smoking Cessation Counseling: Associations with Immediate and Late Mortality in Older Medicare Patients" by Thomas K. Houston, MD, MPH, Jeroan J. Allison, MD, Sharina Person, PhD, Stacey Kovac, PhD, O. Dale Williams, PhD, and Catarina I. Kiefe, PhD, MD. The article appears in The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 118, Number 3 (March 2005), published by Elsevier.
© 2005 The American Journal of Medicine. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
The American Journal of Medicine, known as the "Green Journal," is one of the oldest and most prestigious general internal medicine journals published in the United States, as evidenced by its 2003 Impact Factor of 4.403 (Source: Journal Citation Reports). The American Journal of Medicine, the official journal of The Association of Professors of Medicine, a group comprised of chairs of departments of internal medicine at 125-plus U.S. medical schools, publishes peer-reviewed, original scientific studies that have direct clinical significance. The information contained in this article in The American Journal of Medicine is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, and the Journal recommends consultation with your physician or healthcare professional. The Journal is published by Elsevier, a leading global publisher of scientific, technical, and medical journals, books, and reference works. It is a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group.
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