Treatments, such as surgery and medications, for various diseases are often not as effective for people who smoke, compared to people who have never smoked or those who have quit. There is also a higher risk of complications (adverse events) during numerous types of treatment or after surgery for people who smoke.1-3
This section describes the effects of smoking on the treatment of diseases under the following headings:
Effects of smoking on surgery
Drug interactions
Treatment of cardiovascular disease
Cancer treatment
Treatment of respiratory diseases
Treatment of other conditions
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References
1. World Health Organization. Smoking greatly increases risk of complications after surgery. 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/20-01-2020-smoking-greatly-increases-risk-of-complications-after-surgery
2. Yoong S, Tursan d'Espaignet E, Wiggers J, St Claire S, Mellin-Olsen J, et al. WHO tobacco knowledge summaries: tobacco and postsurgical outcomes Geneva: World Health Organisation 2020. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/330485/9789240000360-eng.pdf
3. US Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004. Available from: https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/tobacco/sgr/2004/index.htm.