September 2003

Smoking affects more than lungs

You have a new argument to use with your patients who persist in smoking: A new study shows that cigarette smoking adversely affects peripheral organs as well as the lungs.

New research, supported by the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, shows that cigarette smoke decreases levels of a critical enzyme (monoamine oxidase B — MAO B) in the kidneys, heart, lungs and spleen. Too much or too little of this enzyme affects a person’s mental or physical health.

MAO B breaks down the chemicals that allow nerve cells to communicate and regulate blood pressure.

The study provided visual evidence of the effects of smoking through a PET scan (positron emission tomography). The PET scan can be viewed at: www.drugabuse.gov/newsroom/03/NR9-08.html.

Source: National Institutes of Health

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