Table of Contents
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Click the icon to see an image of osteoporosis. |
- Postmenopausal women who smoke have a significantly greater risk for hip fracture than those who do not.
- Smokers are more apt to develop degenerative disorders and injuries in the spine.
- Smokers have more trouble recovering from surgeries.
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Click the icon to see an image of rheumatoid arthritis. |
Smoking and Diabetes
Smoking may increase the risk of developing diabetes or glucose intolerance, a condition that precedes diabetes.
Smoking and the Gastrointestinal Tract
Smoking increases acid production in the stomach. It also reduces blood flow and the production of compounds that protect the stomach lining.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Smoking has mixed effects on inflammatory bowel disease, the collective term for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Smokers have been shown to have lower-than-average rates of ulcerative colitis, but higher-than-average rates of Crohn's disease. Smokers with Crohn's disease who stop smoking have less severe symptoms than people who continue to smoke.
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Click the icon to see an image of inflammatory bowel disease. |
Colorectal cancer. Smoking increases the risk of colorectal cancer and aggressive colon polyps, which are considered precursors to colon cancer. The connection is stronger for rectal cancer than for colon cancer. Cigarette smoking is also a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer, and has been established as a major behavioral risk factor for gastric cancer.
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Click the icon to see an image of peptic ulcers. |
Hepatitis and Cirrhosis. Smoking is linked to increased liver scarring (cirrhosis) caused by either excessive drinking or chronic hepatitis B or C viruses.
Smoking and Thyroid Disease
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Review Date: 09/08/2010
Reviewed By: Reviewed by: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor
of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts
General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
