A 55-year-old patient has been smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes (30 cigarettes) per day for 30 years. What is the patient's smoking history?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If a patient describes his or her smoking in terms of the number of cigarettes, or fractions of a pack, the calculation is as follows: there are 20 cigarettes per pack. If a patient states he or she has smoked a pack and a half of cigarettes per day for 30 years, then the smoking history is calculated as follows: 30 cigarettes/20 cigarettes-per-pack = 1.5 packs F1F1F1S1F1F1F10 30 years = 45 pack-year smoking history.

A 55-Year-Old Patient Has Been Smoking a Pack and a Half