effect of smoking on nasal and pharyngeal mucosa

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to throw some light on the effects of cigarette smoking on nasal and pharyngeal mucosa. The study included 60 males aged between 20 and 45 years. They were 50 heavy cigarette smokers and 10 nonsmokers as normal controls and all were scheduled for ear surgery. Detailed smoking histories were taken and complete general and otorhinolaryngological examinations were done followed by histopathological examination of biopsies and brush smears taken from the nose and pharynx under general anethesia. Cigarette smoking was found to affect the nasal and pharyngeal mucosa badly and leads to certain pathological changes starting from mild inflammatory reaction with recurrent infection up to epithelial changes in the form of hyperplasia, metaplasia, atrophy and cellular dysplasia