Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use

Objectives The association between smoking and patients with schizophrenia has been established through epidemiological studies on various populations. This behaviour not only increases the risk of medical comorbidities associated with smoking, but it can also interfere with treatment and ultimately...

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Main Authors: Synthia Lay, Long L Nguyen, Yueqi Yan, Alec M Chan-Golston, Angel De Santiago, Rubani Sidhu, Rama Yasaei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-07-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7/e092122.full
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author Synthia Lay
Long L Nguyen
Yueqi Yan
Alec M Chan-Golston
Angel De Santiago
Rubani Sidhu
Rama Yasaei
author_facet Synthia Lay
Long L Nguyen
Yueqi Yan
Alec M Chan-Golston
Angel De Santiago
Rubani Sidhu
Rama Yasaei
author_sort Synthia Lay
collection DOAJ
description Objectives The association between smoking and patients with schizophrenia has been established through epidemiological studies on various populations. This behaviour not only increases the risk of medical comorbidities associated with smoking, but it can also interfere with treatment and ultimately worsen prognosis. This study aims to determine if nicotine use affects the cumulative number of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia.Design This is a retrospective cohort study using 2018–2023 electronic medical record data.Setting Data was collected at an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Central California.Participants There were a total of 825 patients with diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were admitted to the mental health hospital between 2018 and 2023.Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome of interest was the number of psychiatric hospitalisations observed among the patients who were smokers versus those who were non-smokers. Our secondary objective was to determine the prevalence of certain medical comorbidities between these two groups.Results 60.7% of patients had a lifetime smoking history. Accounting for matching, patients who smoked had significantly (p<0.01) more hospitalisations (mean hospitalisations=2.55, SD=2.81) than patients who never smoked (mean hospitalisations=1.64, SD=1.64), even after controlling for covariates. The smoking group also had a higher prevalence of medical comorbidities, but after matching, no difference was found between the groups.Conclusions Patients with schizophrenia and a lifetime smoking history had significantly more hospitalisations compared with patients with schizophrenia who were non-smokers. This can inform disease course in vulnerable populations with a greater propensity to self-medicate with substances. However, further research should be conducted to investigate other factors that can affect this relationship.
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spelling doaj-art-2c19d3e9a6aa4e2a87ee0070adeba7092025-08-20T03:16:46ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-07-0115710.1136/bmjopen-2024-092122Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine useSynthia Lay0Long L Nguyen1Yueqi Yan2Alec M Chan-Golston3Angel De Santiago4Rubani Sidhu5Rama Yasaei6Psychiatry, Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Visalia, California, USAPsychiatry, Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Visalia, California, USAHealth Sciences Research Institute, University of California System, Merced, California, USAHealth Sciences Research Institute, University of California System, Merced, California, USAHealth Sciences Research Institute, University of California System, Merced, California, USAPsychiatry, Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Visalia, California, USAPsychiatry, Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Visalia, California, USAObjectives The association between smoking and patients with schizophrenia has been established through epidemiological studies on various populations. This behaviour not only increases the risk of medical comorbidities associated with smoking, but it can also interfere with treatment and ultimately worsen prognosis. This study aims to determine if nicotine use affects the cumulative number of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia.Design This is a retrospective cohort study using 2018–2023 electronic medical record data.Setting Data was collected at an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Central California.Participants There were a total of 825 patients with diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were admitted to the mental health hospital between 2018 and 2023.Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome of interest was the number of psychiatric hospitalisations observed among the patients who were smokers versus those who were non-smokers. Our secondary objective was to determine the prevalence of certain medical comorbidities between these two groups.Results 60.7% of patients had a lifetime smoking history. Accounting for matching, patients who smoked had significantly (p<0.01) more hospitalisations (mean hospitalisations=2.55, SD=2.81) than patients who never smoked (mean hospitalisations=1.64, SD=1.64), even after controlling for covariates. The smoking group also had a higher prevalence of medical comorbidities, but after matching, no difference was found between the groups.Conclusions Patients with schizophrenia and a lifetime smoking history had significantly more hospitalisations compared with patients with schizophrenia who were non-smokers. This can inform disease course in vulnerable populations with a greater propensity to self-medicate with substances. However, further research should be conducted to investigate other factors that can affect this relationship.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7/e092122.full
spellingShingle Synthia Lay
Long L Nguyen
Yueqi Yan
Alec M Chan-Golston
Angel De Santiago
Rubani Sidhu
Rama Yasaei
Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use
BMJ Open
title Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use
title_full Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use
title_fullStr Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use
title_full_unstemmed Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use
title_short Puff and psychosis: a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use
title_sort puff and psychosis a retrospective cohort analysis of psychiatric hospitalisations in patients with schizophrenia and nicotine use
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/7/e092122.full
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