吸菸是全世界公認影響人類健康的最主要危險因子之一,且與許多慢性疾病相關。台灣地區男性吸菸率一直居高不下,且年輕女性吸菸人口也有增加的趨勢,顯示吸菸已是台灣地區重要的公共衛生問題。勞工朋友吸菸比例也相當高,所以受到菸品的危害也很大。為了幫助吸菸者戒菸,臨床醫師必須熟悉有效的戒菸療法。戒菸治療主要有尼古丁替代療法、藥物治療、行為介入療法,如何有效的戒菸是我們努力追求的目標。隨著戒菸新藥Varenicline的上市,希望能使戒菸的成功率大大提升,也使得廣大的吸菸族免於菸品的危害。
Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor harming human health and, meanwhile, causes a series of chronic diseases. Furthermore, the prevalence of cigarette smoking remains high in Taiwanese male. There are more and more youngsters smoking in Taiwan. To make matters worse, a large amount of labors in Taiwan smoke heavily. Therefore, tobacco use is an important problem of public health in Taiwan. To help smokers, physicians must be familiar with the spectrum of effective therapies. Two approaches have strong evidence of efficacy for smoking cessation: pharmacotherapy and counseling. Each is effective by itself, but the two in combination achieve the highest rates of smoking cessation. FDA approves Varenicline for smoking cessation, and Varenicline has been available in Taiwan. We hope that the medication is effective in helping smokers quit smoking and improve their overall quality of life.