Fernando W W S A, Wellman Robert J, Difranza Joseph R
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006 Oct;188(3):335-42. doi: 10.1007/s00213-006-0497-x. Epub 2006 Sep 5.
Subthreshold smokers (who smoke < or =5 cigarettes/day) experience withdrawal symptoms, yet they smoke less than is required to maintain serum nicotine levels.
For study 1, our aim was to determine (1) if adult subthreshold smokers report withdrawal symptoms; (2) how they rate symptom severity; (3) the length of their latency to withdrawal symptoms; (4) and the relationship between level of cigarette consumption and latency to withdrawal. The aim of study 2 was to attempt to replicate the results of study 1 in a nationally representative sample and to compare subthreshold and threshold (> or =6 cigarettes/day) smokers.
Study 1 was conducted through telephone interviews. Study 2 was conducted through secondary analysis of data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey (self-administered in schools).
In study 1, all subjects experienced withdrawal symptoms. The mean number of symptoms was 4.3; mean intensity of each symptom was >6 (1-10 scale). A quarter of the subjects could go for > or =2 days before experiencing withdrawal. More frequent smokers had a shorter latency to withdrawal (r=-0.43, p<0.001, n=36). In study 2, 63% of subthreshold smokers reported feeling at least one withdrawal symptom. Median latency to withdrawal was 168 h for subthreshold and 2 h for threshold smokers. A negative correlation between level of cigarette consumption and latency to withdrawal was observed for both groups.
Although subthreshold smokers experience significant withdrawal symptoms, they can smoke infrequently because symptoms may not appear for one to several days. Consistent with the sensitization-homeostasis theory, low doses of nicotine can suppress withdrawal symptoms over long periods.
轻度吸烟者（每天吸烟≤5支）会出现戒断症状，但他们的吸烟量低于维持血清尼古丁水平所需的量。
在研究1中，我们的目的是确定：（1）成年轻度吸烟者是否报告有戒断症状；（2）他们如何对症状严重程度进行评分；（3）他们出现戒断症状的潜伏期时长；（4）以及香烟消费量与戒断潜伏期之间的关系。研究2的目的是尝试在全国代表性样本中重复研究1的结果，并比较轻度吸烟者和中度吸烟者（每天吸烟≥6支）。
研究1通过电话访谈进行。研究2通过对全国青少年烟草调查（在学校自行开展）的数据进行二次分析来进行。
在研究1中，所有受试者都出现了戒断症状。症状的平均数量为4.3个；每个症状的平均强度>6（1-10分制）。四分之一的受试者在出现戒断症状前可以坚持≥2天。吸烟更频繁的受试者戒断潜伏期更短（r=-0.43，p<0.001，n=36）。在研究2中，63%的轻度吸烟者报告至少有1种戒断症状。轻度吸烟者戒断的中位潜伏期为168小时，中度吸烟者为2小时。两组均观察到香烟消费量与戒断潜伏期之间呈负相关。
尽管轻度吸烟者会出现明显的戒断症状，但他们可以不频繁吸烟，因为症状可能在1至数天内都不会出现。与致敏-稳态理论一致，低剂量的尼古丁可以长期抑制戒断症状。
