吸菸會觸發克羅恩病
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，吸菸會觸發令人痛苦的消化疾病，使成千上萬的英國人爲此喪命。科學家第一次發現抽菸會導致腸道炎症--增加患克羅恩病的風險。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.
他們說除了香菸會導致心血管疾病和肺癌這一臭名遠揚的原因之外，這次發現給了吸菸者又一個戒菸的理由。專家認爲：這一突破還能引出新的治療方法，甚至是治癒炎症性腸炎的方法。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.
克羅恩病是一種導致消化系統發炎的慢性疾病，目前全球幾百萬人正罹患該種疾病--僅英國就至少有11.5萬患者。症狀包括腹痛、腹瀉和潛在的體重減輕。十分之八的病人需要切除部分腸道，因爲這部分的腸道已嚴重受損，妨礙了消化。
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，目前也無法治癒，但有些克羅恩病患者認爲他們的飲食可能是一個因素。目前，韓國科學家發現：將小鼠置於煙霧環境會導致結腸炎，這是一種類似於克羅恩病的結腸炎症。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."
他們還發現免疫系統中一種特殊的白血球和炎症蛋白與這一疾病相關。韓國首爾慶熙大學的Hyunsu Bae教授說道："呼吸道和腸道系統有很多共同之處。""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，在傳統的韓國藥品中，早已強調了肺和大腸之間的關係。呼吸道疾病患者更有可能患上克羅恩疾病，這就表明肺部炎症與腸道炎症相關。"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.
《免疫學前沿》（Frontiers in Immunology）發表的雜誌爲研發治療克羅恩疾病的藥物帶來了希望。同時也能提高吸菸者對結腸炎（另一種嚴重的腸道疾病）風險的認知。先前的研究表明：吸菸會大大增加患克羅恩病的風險。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.
但人們尚不清楚香菸影響胃腸系統的機制。一種可能性是，香菸引起的肺部炎症可能與腸道有連鎖反應。爲了調查這一點，Bae教授和他的同事將老鼠連續幾周置於煙霧環境中，每天20根菸，每週六天。
