Citation

Riblet NBV, Watts BV. Chest 2023; 163(2): 259-261.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American College of Chest Physicians)

DOI

10.1016/j.chest.2022.10.016

PMID

36759108

Abstract

Smoking remains a considerable public health concern. In 2020, an estimated 30.8 million adults in the United States were individuals who smoke. Smoking is associated with numerous adverse health effects.In the United States, > 16 million adults have been diagnosed with a smoking-related illness and, as a result, are at higher risk of poor health outcomes that include death. COPD is an illness of special concern among individuals who smoke. Studies have found that patients who smoke and who are diagnosed with COPD frequently experience poor mental health outcomes, including death by suicide. For example, in a meta-analysis of five case-control studies, Sampaio et al observed that patients with COPD were nearly twice as likely to die by suicide than patients who did not have COPD. The factors that may contribute to this observation, however, have not been elucidated fully. In particular, the field lacks knowledge about the role that COPD diagnosis and symptom severity may play in the risk of suicide among individuals who smoke. This information could inform risk stratification and treatment.

Language: en