Associations between cigarette smoking and pain among veterans.
Abstract
Individuals with chronic pain often report using cigarettes to cope, and smoking and
chronic pain appear prevalent among US veterans. Pain may be a barrier to cigarette
cessation and abstinence in this population. Because of physiological effects, smoking
cigarettes may also interfere with pain management. A better understanding of how
cigarette use relates to pain may assist in veteran cigarette cessation and pain management
efforts. To assist these efforts, we searched the literature using keywords, such
as "pain," "smoking," and "veteran," to identify 23 journal articles published from
1993 to 2013 that reported on studies examining pain and smoking variables among military
or veteran populations. Studies found that veterans reported using cigarettes to cope
with pain, there was greater occurrence of pain and disability among smokers in the
military, and smoking increased the odds of veterans receiving an opioid prescription
for pain and misusing opioids. Studies also found increased odds of pain and smoking
among Veterans Health Administration patients with post-traumatic stress disorder
when compared with those without post-traumatic stress disorder. Studies support an
interaction between pain and smoking among veterans. However, the mechanisms underlying
this relationship remain unclear. Future studies focused on this interaction would
benefit veteran populations.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HumansAnalgesics, Opioid
Prevalence
Adaptation, Psychological
Smoking
Smoking Cessation
Veterans
United States
Veterans Health
Chronic Pain
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/19953Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1093/epirev/mxu008Publication Info
Chapman, Shawna L Carroll; & Wu, Li-Tzy (2015). Associations between cigarette smoking and pain among veterans. Epidemiologic reviews, 37(1). pp. 86-102. 10.1093/epirev/mxu008. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/19953.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Li-Tzy Wu
Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education/Training: Pre- and post-doctoral training in mental health service research,
psychiatric epidemiology (NIMH T32), and addiction epidemiology (NIDA T32) from Johns
Hopkins University School of Public Health (Maryland); Fellow of the NIH Summer Institute
on the Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials.Director: Duke Community Based
Substance Use Disorder Research Program.Research interests: COVID-19, Opioid misuse,
Opioid overdose, Opioid use disorder

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