Exams and Tests

Diagnosing tobacco use or tobacco-related illness is not difficult.

• Doctors should ask people about tobacco use at every visit and provide counseling about quitting.

• Most people who smoke admit doing so, in part because smoking carries less social stigma than use of other substances, such as alcohol or illicit drugs.

• Upon a physical exam, a doctor may find various conditions associated with chronic tobacco use.

• Nicotine causes a characteristic brown staining of the hard palate, teeth, fingers, and fingernails.

• A smoker's skin may wrinkle prematurely.

• Smokers have a typical odor to their hair and clothing.

• People with emphysema may have a large, barrel-shaped chest and a chronic cough that produces thick green sputum.