Ulcerative colitis responsive to smoking and to nicotine chewing gum in a patient with alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency.
Ulcerative colitis is one of the few diseases in which smoking appears to confer some benefit (1). We report a patient whose ulcerative colitis deteriorated on several occasions on stopping cigarettes, and improved on restarting smoking. As a result, she continued smoking despite developing airflow limitation and severe emphysema. She was subsequently found to have alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency. She later noticed that she could get a similar benefit in her colitis with nicotine chewing gum as she had with cigarettes. For patients with smoking-responsive ulcerative colitis, non-tobacco forms of nicotine delivery such as gum or transdermal patches should be considered to avoid the hazards of cigarette smoke.
D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012907:Smoking; D019896:alpha 1-Antitrypsin Deficiency
D009538:Nicotine