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. 2010 Oct;2(4):254-9.
doi: 10.4168/aair.2010.2.4.254. Epub 2010 Sep 6.

Effects of smoking cessation on airflow obstruction and quality of life in asthmatic smokers

An-Soo Jang  1 , Sung-Woo Park, Do-Jin Kim, Sootaek Uh, Young Hoon Kim, Hun Gyu Whang, Gun Il Lim, Choon-Sik Park
Affiliations

Effects of smoking cessation on airflow obstruction and quality of life in asthmatic smokers

An-Soo Jang et al. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: Smoking elicits airway inflammation and airflow obstruction in patients with asthma, even after smoking cessation. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of smoking cessation on lung function and quality of life (QOL) in asthmatic patients.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with asthma who were active smokers were recruited. After education on the effects of smoking on asthma, 22 patients continued to smoke, and 10 quit smoking. All patients were treated with inhaled fluticasone propionate (1 mg/day) for 3 months. We compared forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% FVC (FEF(25-75%)), and scores on a QOL questionnaire at baseline, 1, 2, and 3 months.

Results: Quitters showed a greater percent change in FEV1 (19.1±6.3 vs. 7.9±2.4%, P=0.024) and FEV1/FVC (6.5±4.14 vs. 3.5±1.5%, P=0.05) than smokers. Both quitters and smokers showed improved QOL scores after 1, 2, and 3 months of fluticasone treatment.

Conclusions: Patients with asthma who quit smoking showed less airway obstruction, suggesting that smoking cessation is crucial in the management of asthma.

Keywords: Smoking; asthma; lung function; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no financial or other issues that might lead to conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study design.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Predicted FEV1 (A), FEV1/FVC (B), and FEF25-75% (C) values during inhaled steroid treatment in quitters and smokers.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Percent change in predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, and forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% FVC (FEF25-75%) values in quitters and smokers at 1 month after initiating inhaled steroid treatment.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Changes in quality of life in quitters and smokers at 1, 2, and 3 months after initiating inhaled steroid treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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