吸烟会触发克罗恩病

Smoking can trigger an agonising digestive condition that blights the lives of tens of thousands of Britons, according to new research. Scientists have shown for the first time that cigarette smoke causes intestinal inflammation - increasing the risk of Crohn's disease .

新研究表明，吸烟会触发令人痛苦的消化疾病，使成千上万的英国人为此丧命。科学家第一次发现抽烟会导致肠道炎症--增加患克罗恩病的风险。

They said it is another reason for smokers to quit a habit more well known for its notorious links to cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. The breakthrough could also lead to new treatments or even cures for the debilitating inflammatory bowel condition, experts believe.

他们说除了香烟会导致心血管疾病和肺癌这一臭名远扬的原因之外，这次发现给了吸烟者又一个戒烟的理由。专家认为：这一突破还能引出新的治疗方法，甚至是治愈炎症性肠炎的方法。

Crohn's disease is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system which affects millions of people worldwide - with at least 115,000 sufferers in the UK alone. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea and potentially weight loss. Eight out of ten patients will need a part of the intestine removed as it becomes so damaged it prevents digestion.

克罗恩病是一种导致消化系统发炎的慢性疾病，目前全球几百万人正罹患该种疾病--仅英国就至少有11.5万患者。症状包括腹痛、腹泻和潜在的体重减轻。十分之八的病人需要切除部分肠道，因为这部分的肠道已严重受损，妨碍了消化。

Its cause is still not known and there is currently no cure but some with the condition have considered their diet to be a factor. Now South Korea scientists found exposing mice to cigarette smoke resulted in colitis, an inflammation of the colon resembling Crohn's disease.

其原因尚不清楚，目前也无法治愈，但有些克罗恩病患者认为他们的饮食可能是一个因素。目前，韩国科学家发现：将小鼠置于烟雾环境会导致结肠炎，这是一种类似于克罗恩病的结肠炎症。

They also identified a specific white blood cell in the immune system and an inflammatory protein that are responsible for the effect. Professor Hyunsu Bae of Kyung Hee University in Seoul said: "The airways and the intestinal system have a lot in common."

他们还发现免疫系统中一种特殊的白血球和炎症蛋白与这一疾病相关。韩国首尔庆熙大学的Hyunsu Bae教授说道："呼吸道和肠道系统有很多共同之处。"

"Interestingly, in traditional Korean medicine, a connection between the lung and the large intestine has long been emphasised. Crohn's disease is more likely to occur in people with airway diseases, suggesting inflammation in the lungs is linked with inflammation in the gut."

"有趣的是，在传统的韩国药品中，早已强调了肺和大肠之间的关系。呼吸道疾病患者更有可能患上克罗恩疾病，这就表明肺部炎症与肠道炎症相关。"

The study published in Frontiers in Immunology offers hope of new medications for Crohn's. It will also raise awareness among smokers of their risk for colitis, another serious bowel disorder. Previous research has suggested smoking significantly increases the risk of Crohn's disease.

《免疫学前沿》（Frontiers in Immunology）发表的杂志为研发治疗克罗恩疾病的药物带来了希望。同时也能提高吸烟者对结肠炎（另一种严重的肠道疾病）风险的认知。先前的研究表明：吸烟会大大增加患克罗恩病的风险。

But the mechanism by which cigarette smoke affects the gastrointestinal system was not known. One possibility was inflammation in the lungs caused by smoking could have a knock-on effect in the intestine. To investigate this, Prof Bae and colleagues exposed mice to smoke from twenty cigarettes a day, six days a week, for a few weeks.

但人们尚不清楚香烟影响胃肠系统的机制。一种可能性是，香烟引起的肺部炎症可能与肠道有连锁反应。为了调查这一点，Bae教授和他的同事将老鼠连续几周置于烟雾环境中，每天20根烟，每周六天。