title: Effect of cigarette smoking on the lower oesophageal sphincter.
abstract: Observations on the effect of smoking on lower oesophageal sphincter pressure (LOSP) are based on station pull-through techniques of eosophageal manometry and recent studies have suggested that these techniques are inaccurate. Reproducible measurements of LOSP may be achieved with a rapid pull-through (RPT) method of manometry. This method was used to determine the effect of cigarette smoking on LOSP in 10 asymptomatic volunteers and in a group of 10 patients with symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux. Basal LOSP measurements in the two groups were not significantly different but LOSP was reduced by 19% in asymptomatic subjects (p less than 0-01) and by 21% in symptomatic patients (p less than 0-02) during cigarette smoking. The results suggest that smoking should be avoided in the clinical management of gastro-oesophageal reflux.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004943:Esophagogastric Junction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology*