Potential uses of cytisine for smoking cessation in menopausal women – literature summary

INTRODUCTION: Menopause is a vital stage in which the risk of the appearance of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases is increased. Cardiovascular risk in menopausal women must be monitored because it is one of the most common causes of mortality in these women. Smoking is an important risk factor for the development of many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, so promoting smoking cessation in these women is important for the maintenance of cardiovascular health. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Current smoking cessation programs mainly include nicotine and varenicline as therapeutic agents, due to their history of success, safety, and efficacy in aiding in cessation, but they do not include “new” agents such as cytisine as coadjuvant in the elimination of the habit of smoking. RESULTS: Cytisine is a therapeutic agent traditionally used in Eastern Europe, which has demonstrated efficacy and safety in smoking cessation, also showing other new pharmacological actions. It has been widely used since World War II as a nicotine substitute. CONCLUSIONS: These pharmacological actions, together with their efficacy in smoking cessation, should be explored to evaluate the convenience of the use of cytisine in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, so that cytisine can be identified as a useful therapeutic tool in smoking cessation programs and in particular in menopausal women.