[Impact of cigarette smoking on the clinical outcome of Crohn's disease]. / Wplyw palenia na przebieg kliniczny choroby Lesniowskiego-Crohna.

Cigarette smoking is a well known independent risk factor for a more severe course of Crohn's disease, but individual factors determining this impact are poorly known and it is not evident if smoking cessation is associated with an improvement in the disease activity. The aim of our study was to assess the factors determining the harmful impact of smoking in individuals with Crohn's disease. A total of 148 consecutive patients with Crohn's disease and Crohn's disease activity index < 200 were enrolled in a prospective 12-18 month study. Patients were classified into three groups as: current smokers, former smokers, and nonsmokers. Body mass index, alcohol consumption, oral contraceptive use and blood lipid levels were also recorded. The main outcome measure was the rate of fare-up. We observed the flare-up developement in 38% current smokers, versus 21% non-smokers and 26% former smokers. The relative risk of flare-up adjusted for confounding factors was 1.37 (1.09 +/- 1.96) in current smokers. Obesity, dyslipidaemia, and alcohol consumption had no significant effect. Current smoking, particularly heavy smoking, significantly increases the risk of flare-up in Crohn's disease patients. Former smokers have a risk similar to that of non-smokers.

Retrospective analysis of hospital admissions of patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease from semi-rural and rural regions in the Department of Gastroenterology in Lublin between 2000- 2006.

UNLABELLED: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising of ulcerative (UC) colitis and Crohn's disease (CD), are chronic relapsing disorders of unknown etiology. The environmental factors in addition to genetic predisposition are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. IBD was found to be more common in urban areas than in the rural environment. So far, there have been no reports of the frequency of IBD in Polish rural regions. The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of IBD in patients from semi-rural and rural regions hospitalized in the Department of Gastroenterology of the Medical University of Lublin between 2000-2006. METHODS: A retrospective systematic search of clinical records, identifying cases of inflammatory bowel disease. RESULTS: In the 2000-2006 period of the study, 727 cases of IBD were recorded, of which 334 (46 % ) originated from semi-rural and rural regions. UC accounted for 69.2 % (231 patients) while CD for 30.8 % (103 patients). The total number of patients with IBD was higher in the last 3 years (435 patients), compared to 2000-2003 (292 patients). Demographic data, clinical presentation and the location of the disease in patients with IBD from rural and semi-rural regions are similar to patients from urban communities. CONCLUSION: The rise in hospital admission rates of patients with UC and CD from rural and semi-rural regions confirms the observation of an increasing incidence of IBD in areas, where these diseases were less common in the past.

[Pulmonary complications in patient with ulcerative colitis, treated with 5-aminosalicylic preparations]. / Powiklania pucne u chorego z wrzodziejacym zapaleniem jelita grubego, leczonego preparatami kwasu 5-aminosalicylowego.

Pulmonary complications in patients with ulcerative colitis treated with 5-aminosalicylic acid are infrequent adverse events. The authors present a 35-year-old man, taking sulfasalazine and mesalazine in whom pulmonary abnormalities resembling tuberculosis were observed during several months of therapy. Withdrawal of mesalazine resulted in complete resolution of lung injury. Patient is doing well on maintenance treatment with immunosuppressants