High smoking cessation rate in Crohn's disease patients after physician advice--the TABACROHN Study

Tobacco smoking has a significant impact on the development of Crohn's disease (CD) and its clinical course, making smoking cessation one of the main goals in CD therapeutic strategy.

To evaluate the effectiveness of an advice-based smoking cessation strategy among CD patients.

We have performed a prospective multicenter study which enrolled 408 CD smokers. At inclusion all patients were instructed about the risks of smoking and subsequently followed every 3 months. Each center used additional smoking cessation strategies based on available resources. Urinary cotinine and exhaled carbon monoxide levels were evaluated in a subgroup of patients.

Median study follow up was 18 months. 31% of the patients achieved complete smoking cessation and 23% were smoking-free at the end of their follow up with 8% of smoking relapse. Most patients not achieving smoking cessation did not change their smoking habit with only 5% presenting a decrease in tobacco load. 63% of patients willing to quit smoking received help from another specialist, most frequently the pulmonologist (47%). Surprisingly, most patients (88%) tried to quit smoking with no pharmacological therapy and bupropion, varenicline and nicotine replacement treatment were used in few patients. Urinary cotinine and exhaled CO levels tested in a subgroup of patients proved to have a good correlation with the self-reported smoking habit. No predictors of successful smoking cessation were identified.

Our results underline that an anti-tobacco strategy mostly based on CD patients's education and counseling is feasible and effective in helping patients reach complete abstinence.