The Power of Exhaled Air Carbon Monoxide Levels to Predict Nicotine Dependency and Smoking Cessation

The aim of our study was to determine the power of exhaled air CO (E-CO) levels to predict the severity of nicotine dependency and its effect on predicting the one-year smoking cessation success. It also aimed to detect other factors related to smoking cessation success. The smokers who applied to the ADU hospital family medicine and smoking cessation clinic between October 2018 and March 2019 participated in this prospective cohort study, conducted with an analytical design. A significant correlation was found between the E-CO levels and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) score, Heaviness of Smoking index (HSI) score, and the amount of smoking per day. The sensitivity of predicting high nicotine dependency based on the FTND score (≥6) at the 8.5 ppm cut-off point for E-CO level was 70.6%, and the specificity was 67.7%. The sensitivity of predicting high nicotine dependency based on the HSI score (≥4) at the 9.5 ppm cut-off point for E-CO level was 68.0%, and specificity was 71.9%. E-CO measurements can be used to determine the level of dependency. Low initial E-CO levels increase smoking cessation success.

Cite this article as: Ergin, H., & Başak, O. (2021). The power of exhaled air carbon monoxide levels to predict nicotine dependency and smoking cessation. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 8(2), 102-107.