title: Serum thiocyanate, smoking habits and smoking cessation trial in patients with peripheral atherosclerosis.
abstract: The smoking habits in patients with atherosclerosis in the lower limbs and the effect of advising them to stop smoking was studied by means of self-declaration of the number of cigarettes smoked per day and determination of serum thiocyanate. Ninety-six per cent of males and 70 per cent of the females were smokers or ex-smokers. The number of years of smoking was about 40 for the smokers of both sexes and the male ex-smokers and 23 for the female ex-smokers. The number of cigarettes smoked per day reported by the patients was less than that reported by the smokers in a reference population. The serum thiocyanate levels confirmed the smoking status of the non-smokers and showed that about one-sixth of the ex-smokers had smoked in the last month prior to the study, and that the smokers on the average were heavy smokers smoking much more than the self-reported number of cigarettes. The effect of advising the patients to quit smoking was very disappointing. A maximum of 15 per cent of the smokers stopped smoking while some of the ex-smokers resumed smoking.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013861:Thiocyanates; C031760:thiocyanate