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Smokers are more prone to acute pancreatitis

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Smoking raises the risk of acute — not just chronic — pancreatitis, research has shown, providing another reason for patients to kick the habit. The Swedish study authors noted that previous studies had shown smoking raised the risk of chronic pancreatitis, but said the effects on acute pancreatitis had not been fully studied.

Their research showed current smokers with a history of 20 ‘pack-years’ of smoking or more had double the risk of non-gallstone-related acute pancreatitis compared with never-smokers.

Duration of smoking rather than the intensity was a major factor, according to the 12-year follow-up study of more than 84,000 adults. After two decades of smoking cessation, the risk of non-gallstone-related acute pancreatitis was reduced to a level comparable to that of never-smokers.

Writing in Gut, the authors said this finding suggested that “early smoking cessation should be recommended as part of the clinical management of patients with pancreatitis”.

Ref and Read more: http://www.imt.ie/clinical/2011/09/smoking-shown-to-increase-the-risk-of-acute-pancreatitis.html

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