Continuous Abstinence Rates at 3, 6, 9 and 12 Months in a Smoking Cessation Unit at the Albacete University Hospital Over 2 Years

Introduction: Review the continuous abstinence rates at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months obtained in a Smoking Cessation Unit (SCU) over 2 years. Methods: Retrospective descriptive analysis of the results obtained from 559 patients attended to in an SCU from January 1 st in 2008 to December 31st in 2009, and a subsequent 1-year follow-up. Results: 838 patients referred 559 attended to and only 278 treated (33%); 55.4% males and 44.6% females; mean age of 46.4 years. The most important comorbidities were psychiatric (36.3%), cardiovascular (dyslipidemia 30.2%, hypertension 19.1%, diabetes 9.4%) and respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 15.1%; Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS), 11.9%; asthma, 7.6%). Treatments included varenicline (VRN), 36.7%, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), 43.4%, bupropion, 13.3%, and psychological counseling only for 7.9%. Continuous abstinence rates at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months were 48.6% (n=135), 34.2% (n=95), 29.1% (n=81) and 27.7% (n=77), respectively, and failure, abstinence never achieved, was found for 14.7%. Of the 77 successfully treated patients, VRN obtainedthe best success rate (40.3%), followed by NRT (24.7%), psycotherapy (10.4%) and bupropion (10.4%). The 165 patients who relapsed obtained a high relapse rate at 3 months (23.7%), and 113 patients did not relapse. Conclusion: Treatment success, considered to be continuous abstinence after 1 year, appeared in 27.7% of the sample.