Efficacy of Varenicline on Smoking Cessation at the Acute Phase of an Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients smokers (= 10 cigarettes per day in the last year) * Affected by a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. * Presenting a recent exacerbation having led to at least a 24-hour hospitalization in pneumology or intensive care unit. * Inclusion during hospitalization. * Motivated to quit smoking * Able to understand the information and give a written consent. * Available for a follow-up of 1 year. Exclusion Criteria: * Refusal or unable to consent. * Unaffiliated or not entitled to the National Health Insurance Coverage. * Absence of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease according to the criteria ATS / ERS. * presenting a contraindication to the pharmacotherapy (i.e. the active substance: tartrate of varénicline or one of the excipients) * actively participating in other smoking cessation trials. * Pregnancy: declared or planned in 14 months. * breastfeeding. * Women old enough to procreate without reliable contraception. * History of anorexia nervosa or bulimia. * History of a severe depression and having required a medicinal treatment in 5 years. * History of 2 or several episodes of severe depression and having required a medicinal treatment. * Personal or family History of suicide attempt. * History or current presence of dementia, a bipolar disease, a psychosis, a panic attack. * Taken by psychotropic medicines in the inclusion excepted those prescribed to hypnotic aim and antidepressant medicine of the class of the inhibitors of the recapture of the sérotonine prescribed for a not severe depression * Presence of a depression detected by means of the questionnaire HAD (not inclusion if the total of the sub-scale D is \> 8 or if the total of scales A + D is \> 16) and/or PHQ-9 (not inclusion if score \> 9). * SGOT or SGPT \> 2 fold upper limit of normal, the hepatic cirrhosis, the acute hepatitis. * Renal insufficiency (clearance of the creatinine \< 30 ml / min according to the formula of Cockcroft). * Excessive consumption of alcohol (more than 21 glasses a week for the men, more than 14 glasses of wines a week to them Women). * Use of marijuana or other forms of tobacco during the study. * Use of other stimulant drugs (ephedrine, phenylephrine) or appetite suppressants during the study. * Life expectancy of ≤ 12-months (ex: patients affected by a chronic disease in terminal phase).