Patients' perspectives on smoking and inflammatory bowel disease: An online survey in collaboration with European Federation of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis Associations

BACKGROUND: Smoking has detrimental effects on Crohn's disease (CD) activity while data on ulcerative colitis (UC) are conflicting. Little is known about the use and impact of alternative smoking products in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). AIM: To understand the patients' perceptions of the impact of smoking on their IBD and to assess differences between CD and UC patients. METHODS: November 2019 to 11th March 2020 through the European Federation of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis Associations website to IBD patients who were current smokers or had a history of smoking. RESULTS: = 0.001). We also found significant differences between CD and UC patients in the awareness of the health consequences of smoking in their disease and in the perceived impact of smoking on disease activity, for both cigarettes and alternative smoking products. CONCLUSION: This survey found significant differences between CD and UC patients in both awareness and perception of the impact of smoking on their disease. Further efforts should be done to encourage smoking cessation for all IBD patients, including UC patients.