Relation between the Tolerance Questionnaire (nicotine dependence) and assessment of carbon monoxide in smokers who participated in treatment for smoking.

It is very important to have objective measurements of nicotine dependence or tobacco addiction, especially in the treatment of smokers. The most utilized physiological assessment is the carbon monoxide (one of the components of tobacco smoke) in expired air. A noninvasive measure of nicotine dependence is the Fagerström's Tolerance Questionnaire. In our study we compared responses on the Tolerance Questionnaire of 217 smokers who participated in a treatment to stop smoking and also measurements of carbon monoxide in expired air (evaluated with a Mini Smokerlyzer EC-50). Analysis showed the utility of the Tolerance Questionnaire in the discrimination of number of cigarettes smoked prior to and after treatment and at follow-up.