Crohn’s disease is an extremely painful
inflammatory disease of the intestines and digestive tract. It mainly causes
ulcers, or breaks in the lining of the digestive tract so that your stomach
acid digests you and not food, but it can cause problems in the tract from the
mouth all the way to the anus. The disease is named after the doctor who
discovered it in 1932.
The pain that comes with Crohn’s disease
can flair up randomly or be caused by a whole host of triggers. For some, the
wrong kind of food can cause problems, for others the worst trigger is stress.
But recent studies have shown that maybe the worst trigger of all is caused by
the Marlboro Man.
A study
that was done in early 2001 seems to indicate that if a Crohn’s sufferer quits
smoking, many of the painful flare-ups associated with the disease can be
reduced. Those include symptoms such as fever, rectal bleeding, abdominal
cramps, diarrhea and fatigue.
The study showed that Crohn’s sufferers
that smoke have more severe symptoms and tend to be more resistant to
medications that could otherwise help them. They also show a slower recovery
time after surgery, which is common for Crohn’s sufferers who need to have
sections of intestine removed that is too ravaged by ulcers.
The chemicals involved in smoking have been
shown to change the composition of the mucus in the stomach, large and small
intestines making it more susceptible to Crohn’s and making the appearance of
ulcers far more common.
The risk of smoking and Crohn’s doesn’t
only affect the person lighting up. Evidence has shown that children who have
developed Crohn’s are usually exposed to second-hand smoke in the home.
The good news is that if you quit smoking,
you can recover. Studies have shown that if you can just go a year without a
cigarette, your Crohn’s symptoms should be like you had never smoked at all.
The effects on your lungs, however, take much longer to heal.
The
remainder of affects of smoking on the body are well known, led by lung, mouth,
throat, oesophagus and voice box cancer. Smoking is also linked to types of
leukaemia and cancers of the pancreas, stomach, kidney and bladder. Respiratory
diseases such as bronchitis, emphysema and dyspena are also more common with
smoking. Cardiovascular diseases such as angina, blood clots and strokes are
also shown to be connected to tobacco use.
Of course,
the best way to avoid smoking-related flare-ups with Crohn’s disease is to
never start. But even if you do, there
are many clinical avenues out there to help you quit, including smoking
patches, nicotine gum, and even hypnosis or prescription medications. The best
course of action is to see your doctor and have him or her recommend a fight
plan to wean yourself off of tobacco products and decrease your chances of
Crohn’s flair-ups by 65% or more. Remember, if you don’t want to do it for
yourself, do it for your children.
There are also many more resources and lots
of information about controlling and treating Crohn’s Disease symptoms here Breakthrough Crohn's Disease Guide.
