Asthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage to their lungs that exacerbates asthmatic symptoms just by putting down their cigarettes, according to research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
The research is published in the December 15 issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
"We found that exposure to cigarette smoke appears to increase the thickness of the epithelium, or lining, of the airways in the lung. This may be the underlying cause of the fact that smoking asthma patients experience more asthma symptoms, such as shortness of breath and phlegm production, compared to non-smoking asthma patients," said Martine Broekema, Ph.D., the lead author of the study.
Dr. Broekema and colleagues examined patients with asthma who were assessed each for the severity of their asthma and allergy, given questionnaires to determine the extent of their smoke-induced symptoms, and then underwent bronchial biopsies. Of the total of 147 patients, 66 never smoked, 46 were ex-smokers and 35 were current smokers.
In addition to the changes in the epithelial thickness, Dr. Broekema found distinct differences between the current smokers and the ex- and non-smokers. "In addition to the epithelial thickening, we found that cigarette smoke negatively affects levels of exhaled nitric oxide, making it an unreliable indicator of asthma severity in smokers," she said.