The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Patients Don’t Realize Smoking Worsens Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Patients Don’t Realize Smoking Worsens Inflammatory Bowel Disease

August 18, 2015 • By Lisa Rapaport

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

(Reuters Health)—Doctors know smoking can increase the risk for certain common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but many patients haven’t gotten the message, a new study suggests.

You Might Also Like
  • Statin Use Tied to Lower Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Fungal Microbiota Dysbiosis Seen in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • FDA Clears Pfizer’s Xeljanz for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Out of 239 patients with two common types of IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) only half were aware of the smoking risks associated with these conditions.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“The take-home message for patients with IBD is that smoking can affect their disease,” lead study author Dr. Stephanie Ducharme-Benard of the University of Montreal Hospital Center said by email.

Previous research has linked smoking to an increased risk of Crohn’s disease and its complications but has also suggested that smokers are at lower risk for ulcerative colitis, note Ducharme-Benard and colleagues in a paper online July 18 in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

For the current study, they questioned 182 people with Crohn’s and 77 people with ulcerative colitis about their diagnosis, symptoms, smoking history, and understanding of how tobacco use might relate to development of their disease or to complications or recurrences.

Most patients in the study were white and female, and they were typically in their 40s.

Compared to patients with ulcerative colitis, patients with Crohn’s used more corticosteroids and other medications to manage symptoms, and they had more hospital admissions, surgeries, and time missed from work as a result of their disease. But both groups were about equally likely to considered their disease to be well controlled.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Overall, 20% of study participants were current smokers and 40% were former smokers. A greater proportion of people with Crohn’s were current smokers, while there were more former smokers among the patients with ulcerative colitis.

Less than half of Crohn’s patients and just 10% of people with ulcerative colitis could correctly explain to researchers how smoking influenced their risk of getting their disease, and the proportions were similar for their understanding of complications tied to smoking.

Most smokers who were informed about the effects of the habit on their disease told researchers they intended to quit, compared with less than half of the participants who didn’t understand the risks.

“People think of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis as ‘bowel only’ problems and cigarette smoking as causing ‘lung problems’ and look at them separately,” Dr. Miguel Regueiro, who leads the IBD clinical program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said by email.

One limitation of the study is its reliance on patients to accurately recall and report their smoking habits, the researchers acknowledge.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes Tagged With: Crohn's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, patient education, Smoking, tobacco, ulcerative colitis

You Might Also Like:
  • Statin Use Tied to Lower Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Fungal Microbiota Dysbiosis Seen in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • FDA Clears Pfizer’s Xeljanz for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Anti-TNF-Associated Skin Lesions Common in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)