Clinical characteristics of heavy and non-heavy smokers with schizophrenia.

Abstract Up to 50–90% of persons with schizophrenia smoke cigarettes. Limited data and theories suggest persons with schizophrenia may smoke for different reasons than persons without schizophrenia, making smoking cessation interventions particularly challenging in this population. Although health consequences of smoking are widely known, less information is available regarding characteristics of different amounts of smoking exposure in this population. This study was performed to investigate differences between heavy (≥ 1 pack per day) and non-heavy ( χ 2  = 6.67, df = 1, p = 0.01), cocaine ( χ 2  = 6.66, df = 1, p = 0.01), and other substances ( χ 2  = 9.95, df = 1, p = 0.003) compared to non-heavy smokers. No differences in cannabis or heroin use were found by smoking category. Controlling for age, race, sex and BMI, heavy smokers had higher total cholesterol (190.7(51.6) mg/dL) compared to non-heavy smokers (178.2 (43.0) mg/dL, p = 0.03), but no differences were found in glucose or blood pressure. Heavy smoking may be a particular health risk in schizophrenia and significant efforts for smoking cessation or reduction are needed.