Cytisinicline in the Pharmacological Treatment of Smoking Cessation: An Evidence Based Review

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Smoking results in high morbidity and mortality. Quitting smoking has benefits at any age. The objective of this review is to determine the level of evidence of prescribing cytisine in the pharmacological treatment of smoking cessation (SC).
METHODOLOGY: On 9 December 2021, a bibliographic search was conducted in data bases of studies published in the last 10 years, in English and Portuguese, using the terms MeSH “cytisine” and “smoking cessation”. To stratify the level of evidence and the strength of recommendation, the SORT scale of the American Academy of Family Physicians was used.
RESULTS: We found 153 articles: 14 articles were selected, including 2 meta-analysis, 7 systematic reviews and 5 randomized controlled clinical trials.
CONCLUSION: We conclude that cytisine has beneficial effects on SC, with mild side effects. The current evidence allows recommending cytisine in the pharmacological therapy of SC (level of evidence 1, strength of recommendation A).