title: Assessment of cigarette smoking status with respect to symptomatic manifestation in first-episode schizophrenia patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been repeatedly found that cigarette smoking may influence schizophrenia psychopathology. However, little is known about the relationship between nicotine consumption and symptomatic manifestation of first-episode schizophrenia (FES).
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 109 minimally medicated FES patients. Cigarette smoking was assessed using the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND) and pack-year index. Psychopathology on the day of recruitment was examined using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smokers had significantly lower severity of negative and depressive symptoms in comparison with non-smokers. Patients with severe nicotine dependence had significantly later age of psychosis onset in comparison with those with mild nicotine dependence and non-smokers. Significantly lower severity of negative and depressive symptoms was also observed in patients with severe nicotine dependence in comparison with non-smokers. The associations between the severity of nicotine dependence and scores of negative and depressive symptoms as well as age of psychosis onset remained significant after co-varying for gender, education, duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and measures of antipsychotic treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that cigarette smoking might be associated with less severe negative and depressive symptoms as well as delayed age of psychosis onset. However, longitudinal studies are required to indicate the direction of causality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 10 Pasteur Street, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland; Department of Genetics, Wroclaw Medical University, 1 Marcinkowski Street, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland. Electronic address: mblazej@interia.eu.
authors.forename: Błażej
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Misiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 10 Pasteur Street, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiejna
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 10 Pasteur Street, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Frydecka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult