Abstract

Background: Therapies to quit smoking are based on counseling, psychological therapy (PT), nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion or varenicline. Aim: To report the results of a multidisciplinary program to quit smoking. Material and Methods: Patients aged 18 years or more, motivated to quit smoking were admitted in a program based in counseling and PT, with or without pharmacological therapy. They were assessed by telephone during one year of follow up. Patients with unstable psychiatric diseases were excluded. Results were considered as "successful" when patients maintained abstinence during the year of follow up. A logistic regression analysis was done to identify factors associated with treatment success. Results: Between 2005 and 2011, 198 patients aged 45 +/- 11 years (56% males), who smoked 31.5 +/- 20.6 packages/year, were treated. Of these, 155 (78%) were treated with varenicline, 26 (13%) with bupropion and 17 (9%) did not receive pharmacological therapy. One hundred sixty eight patients completed the year of follow up. In 82 (49%), treatment was successful and was negatively associated with a history of depression (odds ratio = 4 (95% confidence intervals 1.23-38.33). The main side effects associated to varenicline and bupropion were nausea in 37 and 23%, sleep disorders in 20 and 19% and headache in 12 and 0%, respectively. Conclusions: A multidisciplinary program to quit smoking achieved a 49% of abstinence during a year of follow up.