How does smoking affect the digestive system?

Not only the lungs and cardiovascular system, smoking is also a potential cause of many dangerous digestive diseases such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, gastroesophageal reflux, pancreatitis, chronic enteritis, and increased risk of stomach, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer.

Having a 35-year history of smoking, Mr. VT (born in 1964) went to the doctor because of difficulty swallowing. He was prescribed an esophagogastroduodenoscopy. During the endoscopy, the doctor discovered a polyp occupying almost the entire lumen of the esophagus, making it impossible to pass the endoscope. Mr. T had a biopsy of the tumor and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Smoking not only affects the larynx-trachea-lung system but also penetrates the esophagus through the throat and causes cancerous changes.

Not only traditional cigarettes but also electronic cigarettes have a high risk of causing digestive diseases, especially the upper digestive tract.

Sharing in a smoking cessation counseling session, Dr. Nguyen Thi Huong, Bach Mai Hospital, said that cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 toxic chemicals, hundreds of which damage the lining of the digestive tract, reducing the body's ability to protect and heal itself.

Smoking increases the risk of digestive diseases.

According to Dr. Huong, smokers are 27 times more likely to get mouth and throat cancer than non-smokers, with the cancer rate being 10 times higher in men. In addition, smoking can cause esophageal cancer because cigarette smoke damages the mucous layer that protects the stomach and esophagus, causing repeated inflammation leading to ulcers and cancer. “Smokers are 8-10 times more likely to get esophageal cancer than non-smokers. Using 1 pack of cigarettes damages the esophageal mucosa 10 times more than non-smokers. If you both smoke and drink alcohol, the risk of esophageal cancer is 25-50 times higher,” said Dr. Huong.

The doctor also emphasized that tobacco is one of the culprits causing stomach cancer, stomach ulcers, and stomach bleeding. With the absorption of large toxins, smoking is the root cause of damage to the stomach lining. Toxic substances damage the protective layer of the stomach lining, which can lead to inflammation and ulcers.

In particular, the habit of smoking after meals causes the stomach to contract many times, absorbing more toxins, causing the risk of inflammation, perforation, and stomach ulcers. Smokers are twice as likely to get stomach cancer as non-smokers.

According to Dr. Huong, to protect health and life, smokers should quit today. Those who want to quit smoking should find out information by calling the free hotline of Bach Mai Hospital 18006606, the consultants work from 8am to 8:30pm every day of the week, or come directly from Monday to Friday.

After 5 years of operation, the hotline has supported more than 7,000 smokers, more than 1,100 people have successfully quit smoking, stopping the smoking habit for 1 year.

The direct smoking cessation counseling reception room has counseled 951 cases, of which 774 were patients and their relatives treated at the departments, 277 patients came by themselves; the total number of people who successfully helped 441 patients quit smoking.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/hut-thuoc-la-anh-huong-den-he-tieu-hoa-nhu-the-nao--i784370/