Tobacco smoking in Egyptian schizophrenia patients with and without obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Background: Nicotine dependence is common in schizophrenia patients but rare in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Little is known, however, about smoking in schizophrenia patients with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) especially in a developing country, such as Egypt, that has the highest rate of tobacco consumption in the Middle East and North Africa.

Objectives: To test a hypothesis that nicotine dependence in schizophrenia patients with-OCS is lower than in those without-OCS.