Nicotinic withdrawal rate assessment by applying minimal advice and measurement of CO in the exhaled air in smoking patients with tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a global killer, claiming the lives of more than two million people annually and sickening millions more. Smoking increases the risks of becoming infected with tuberculosis, of developing the active form of disease and of dying from it. Therefore controlling the tobacco epidemic we will help control the TB epidemic. Clinicians should be more alert about reducing the TB risk among smokers by applying a simple medical intervention: minimal advice, short-term 3-5 min for quit smoking. A number of markers are available to assess the degree of compliance to a smoking cessation program. In this study we refer to: expired carbon monoxide (CO), Fagerstrom test, identification and analysis of the main barriers, nicotinic withdrawal rate. That TB risk could be reduced by nearly two-third if one quits smoking is a compelling evidence in highlighting the important role of smoking in TB control.