Yamada Keiko, Chiba Satoko, Iseki Masako, Tabuchi Takahiro
Pain Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Neuropsychopharmacol Rep. 2025 Mar;45(1):e12516. doi: 10.1002/npr2.12516.
There is a complex relationship between tobacco use and pain. Nicotine provides temporary pain relief but increases the risk of chronic pain. This study aimed to investigate use of tobacco for pain relief and its association with demographic and medical characteristics in Japan.
We used a web-based survey to recruit 2000 individuals aged 20-69 who had experienced pain in the previous month. They answered questions on demographics, smoking status, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and medical information. Smokers were asked if they smoked tobacco to relieve pain. Those who responded "strongly agree" or "agree" were labeled as using tobacco for pain relief. We used analysis of covariance to test the associations among smokers' background characteristics by whether they used tobacco for pain relief.
Overall, 6.6% of smokers with pain (3.5% with acute or subacute pain and 8.8% with chronic pain) used tobacco for pain relief. These individuals were generally younger, more likely to be treated for schizophrenia and use analgesics, with higher pain severity, more catastrophic thinking about pain, and a centralized symptom. However, they were less likely to engage in regular exercise.
Overall, 6.6% of smokers (3.5% with acute or subacute pain and 8.8% with chronic pain) used tobacco to relieve their pain, even though most of them also received medical treatment and used pain medication. Healthcare providers and policy makers should account for this population of smokers in their planning.
烟草使用与疼痛之间存在复杂的关系。尼古丁能提供暂时的疼痛缓解，但会增加慢性疼痛的风险。本研究旨在调查日本使用烟草缓解疼痛的情况及其与人口统计学和医学特征的关联。
我们通过网络调查招募了2000名年龄在20 - 69岁且在上个月经历过疼痛的个体。他们回答了有关人口统计学、吸烟状况、生活方式、社会经济状况和医学信息的问题。吸烟者被问及是否吸烟以缓解疼痛。回答“强烈同意”或“同意”的人被标记为使用烟草缓解疼痛。我们使用协方差分析来检验吸烟者的背景特征与他们是否使用烟草缓解疼痛之间的关联。
总体而言，6.6%的疼痛吸烟者（急性或亚急性疼痛者占3.5%，慢性疼痛者占8.8%）使用烟草缓解疼痛。这些个体通常更年轻，更有可能接受精神分裂症治疗并使用镇痛药，疼痛严重程度更高，对疼痛有更多灾难性思维，且有集中性症状。然而，他们进行定期锻炼的可能性较小。
总体而言，6.6%的吸烟者（急性或亚急性疼痛者占3.5%，慢性疼痛者占8.8%）使用烟草缓解疼痛，尽管他们中的大多数人也接受了医疗治疗并使用了止痛药物。医疗保健提供者和政策制定者在规划中应考虑到这部分吸烟人群。
