title: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax and smoking.
abstract: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) afflicts the young and healthy. Thirty-three consecutive patients with spontaneous pneumothorax were reviewed. Five patients without PSP were excluded. The relationship of smoking to PSP was analyzed in 28 patients. Eight-six percent of PSP occurred in smokers (p < 0.01). Also, 78% were male (p > 0.05) and 78% were white (p > 0.05). A mean of 21.4 +/- 26.9 duty days were lost per episode. A majority of PSP can be avoided by abstention from smoking, and cessation must be more aggressively advocated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery 121st Evacuation Hospital, APO AP 96205, USA.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sawyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*