Smokers more prone to bowel condition relapses, study suggests
People with Crohn's disease are more likely to experience a recurrence after surgery if they continue to smoke, the study found. Doctors recommend people with the condition stop smoking to avoid their illness worsening. The researchers also assessed whether a drug treatment that is commonly used in treating the disease is effective at preventing it from coming back after surgery. They found that the therapy had limited beneficial effects for non-smokers in preventing relapse after surgery. It did, however, offer protection for smokers. The team says people who are unable to quit smoking may be offered the therapy immediately after surgery but the evidence does not justify the use of the drug in non-smokers Crohn's disease occurs when the immune system attacks the lining of the gut and bowel to cause severe inflammation. It results in abdominal pain, urgent diarrhea, sickness and profound lethargy. Patients are initially treated with one of a class of drugs calle...