The risk of developing diseases for those who quit smoking does not decrease
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Ex-smokers, when compared with those who have never smoked, increased the likelihood of developing two inflammatory bowel diseases - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
At the same time, the risk of colitis remains elevated even after two decades after giving up the bad habit.
Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Boston and Harvard Medical School (both - the US) collected information on 230,000 nurses, monitoring the behavior and health of which was conducted from 1976 to 1989. During this time, Crohn's disease developed in 144 out of 124 thousand of those who had never smoked, 117 out of 51 thousand ex-smokers, and 75 out of 53 500 continuing to kill themselves with cigarette smoke.
Taking into account other risk factors, such as the age, weight and intake of hormonal drugs, the researchers found that in subjects of smokers Crohn's disease arose by 90%, and those who parted with a bad habit - 35% more often than never smokers. And the longer the subjects smoke, the higher the probability of developing the disease. For example, a person who smoked a pack a day for 10-25 years became victims of Crohn's disease 1.7 times more often than never smoked. And those who smoked the same number of cigarettes for more than 25 years, the risk increased by 2.3 times.
In addition, smoking was associated with ulcerative colitis - an ailment that causes pain, diarrhea and bleeding. During the study, this disease was diagnosed in 190 of those who did not touch cigarettes, 167 former and 43 active smokers. Comparison of former smokers with continuing smoking showed that the risk of ulcerative colitis is 50% higher in the first group. And smoking women have the same risk as those who have never smoked.
Scientists note that over time, the likelihood of developing disease in quit smoking is not reduced. So, within 2-5 years after refusal from harmful predilection, ulcerative colitis developed among participants three times more often than those who continue to take tobacco inhalations. And 20 years after the last puff, the risk of this disease was one and a half times higher.