Treatment of tobacco addiction and the cardiovascular specialist

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of avoidable deaths worldwide, and half of these deaths are due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physicians specialized in the management of CVD play a key role in ensuring that all smokers with cardiovascular disorders are offered best evidence support to help them quit smoking. This review summarizes recent findings on smoking as a risk factor for CVD, effects of smoking cessation on the prognosis of CVD patients, interactions between drug treatment for CVD and smoking, effective interventions to promote quitting in CVD patients and policy issues regarding tobacco control. RECENT FINDINGS: Smoking cessation following an acute cardiovascular event yields a substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality. Recent declines in CVD mortality were mainly a result of risk factor modification rather than improvement of medical treatments for CVD. The latter are also less effective in smokers than in nonsmokers, and smokers are at high risk of medication nonadherence. Effective interventions to support quit attempts in smokers with CVD are available. Cardiovascular specialists should encourage policy-makers to take appropriate tobacco control action. SUMMARY: Cardiovascular specialists are in a unique position to promote cardiovascular health at the individual as well as at a population level.