Data from: Tobacco stained fingers and its association with death and hospital admission: a retrospective cohort study

Background: Among smokers, the presence of tobacco stains on fingers has
recently been associated with a high prevalence of tobacco related
conditions and alcohol abuse. Objective: We aimed to explore tobacco
stains as a marker of death and hospital readmission. Method:
Seventy-three smokers presenting tobacco-tar staining on their fingers and
70 control smokers were followed during a median of 5.5 years in a
retrospective cohort study. We used the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and
the log-rank test to compare mortality and hospital readmission rates
among smokers with and smokers without tobacco stains. Multivariable Cox
models were used to adjust for confounding factors: age, gender, pack-year
unit smoked, cancer, harmful alcohol use and diabetes. The number of
hospital admissions was compared through a negative binomial regression
and adjusted for the follow-up time, diabetes, and alcohol use. Results:
Forty-three patients with tobacco-stained fingers died compared to 26
control smokers (HR 1.6; 95%CI: 1.0 to 2.7; p 0.048). The association was
not statistically significant after adjustment. Patients with
tobacco-stained fingers needed a readmission earlier than smokers without
stains (HR 2.1; 95%CI: 1.4 to 3.1; p<0.001), and more often
(incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.6; 95%CI: 1.1 to 2.1). Associations between
stains and the first hospital readmission (HR 1.6; 95%CI: 1.0 to 2.5), and
number of readmissions (IRR 1.5; 95%CI: 1.1 to 2.1) persisted after
adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusions: Compared to other
smokers, those presenting tobacco-stained fingers have a high unadjusted
mortality rate and need early and frequent hospital readmission even when
controlling for confounders.