Reduced risk of reoperation in Crohn's patients who stop smoking

Patients with ileocecal Crohn's disease who stop smoking reduce their risk of reoperation for recurrent disease, find investigators in the February issue of the American Journal of Surgery.

Smoking increases the risk of recurrent Crohn's disease (CD).

In this study, an international team of investigators examined the impact of smoking and of giving up smoking, among other factors, on reoperation for recurrent CD.

The team evaluated 584 patients who had undergone a surgical operation for ileocecal CD. They assessed history of smoking, medical, behavioral, and demographic information using questionnaires.

A total of 267 patients completed the questionnaire.

Smokers were more likely to have undergone reoperation for recurrent ileocecal Crohn's disease.

American Journal of Surgery

The team found that smokers were more likely to have undergone 1, 2, and 3 reoperations for recurrence at any site. Smokers were also more likely to have undergone one reoperation for recurrent ileocecal CD.

However, the team found that patients who quit smoking were less likely to have undergone 1, 2, and 3 reoperations for recurrence at any site. They were also less likely to have undergone one reoperation for recurrent ileocecal CD.

Dr William Ryan's team concluded, "This study indicates that patients with ileocecal CD who stop smoking reduce the risk of reoperation for recurrent CD".