Factors associated with smoking cessation in patients with peripheral arterial disease consulting French cessation services.

Objective: Smoking is a strong independent risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) incidence and quitting is a key factor of the disease evolution. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of smokers with PAD included in the French smoking cessation services (SCS) database CDTnet, as well as to identify factors associated with their abstinence. We hypothesized that certain PAD smokers' characteristics would influence quit rates.

Methods: This retrospective cohort analysis included adult smokers with PAD who were registered in CDTnet between 2001 and 2018 and who had completed at least 28 days of follow-up in SCS. One-month self-reported abstinence was confirmed by exhaled carbon monoxide < 5 ppm. Descriptive and logistic analysis were performed.

Results: Among the 3 656 smokers with PAD included in CDTnet, 76% were male, with a median age of 57 years, who mainly were hospital-referred. They presented a severe smoking profile. Indeed, half of them (48%) smoked >20 cigarettes per day, 65% presented high nicotine dependence and 30% had never quit previously. Among the sample, 46% stopped smoking at least one month. Factors favoring abstinence were: at least one previous quit attempt, a high confidence in quitting, an increasing number of follow-up visits and the prescription of nicotine patches associated or not to nicotine oral forms as well as the prescription of varenicline at the first visit.

Conclusion: Quitting smoking is reachable for PAD patients with an intensive management consisting of the prescription of a smoking cessation pharmacological treatment and a follow-up in SCS.