Cannabis arteritis mirrors thromboÂangiitis obliterans in its clinical and arteriographic presentation, but its relevant exposure is cannabis rather than tobacco.1 Whether cannabis arteritis is a subset of thromboangiitis obliterans or a unique pathologic entity is debatable. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, is a peripheral vasoconstrictor.2 This offers mechanistic insight into how cannabis may…
Patients Don’t Realize Smoking Worsens Inflammatory Bowel Disease
(Reuters Health)—Doctors know smoking can increase the risk for certain common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but many patients haven’t gotten the message, a new study suggests. Out of 239 patients with two common types of IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) only half were aware of the smoking risks associated with these conditions. “The take-home…
Tobacco and Medicine: A Hazy Relationship
How tobacco companies tapped physicians to bolster hollow marketing claims to sell cigarettes