ABSTRACT
Background: Objectives of this study were to describe sociodemographic characteristics of Tunisian woman smoker and to study her respiratory functional profile
Methods: all women answered for a questionnaire and benefited of a total physical plethysmography and of a carbon monoxide lung transfer measure [TLCO]
Results: 101 smoking women were selected. These women consumed cigarettes [74%], the snuff "neffa "[10%] and the water pipe [15%]. A chronic bronchitis was present at 22 women. A proximal bronchial obstruction was found at 11 women who were consumer of the "neffa" and cigarettes. A lower airway obstruction was found in all women consumer of water pipe. The TLCO was low at "neffa" group of women
Conclusion: woman smoking has a negative influence on pulmonary function which depends on sociocultural characteristics and on the history of smoking