Introduction. Cytisine is a partial nicotinic receptor agonist used in the treatment of smoking cessation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cytisine in smokers over 65 years of age in real-world clinical practice.
Materials and methods. A single-center, retrospective observational study conducted at the Bergamo SerD. Patients ≥65 years of age evaluated for smoking between January 2022 and December 2024 were analyzed. Of the 104 subjects included, 85 received cytisine according to a standard protocol. Demographic, clinical, and pharmacological data were collected, assessing comorbidities, polypharmacy, adverse events (AEs), and therapeutic outcomes.
Results. The mean age was 69.3 ± 3.7 years; 90.6% had at least one comorbidity and 52.9% had polymorbidity. At the end of follow-up, 40.0% of patients had achieved complete remission of tobacco use disorder. AEs occurred in 7 patients (8.2%), all of which were mild and predominantly gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, or neurological; no serious adverse events were recorded. Neither the presence nor the number of comorbidities were associated with therapeutic outcome or the onset of AEs.
Conclusions. Cytisine has proven effective and well-tolerated in smokers over 65, even in the presence of a high comorbidity burden and polypharmacy. The data support its use in the geriatric population, confirming its favorable efficacy and safety profile.
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