Some Asthma Symptoms Relieved When Smokers Quit

Quitting smoking can relieve asthma symptoms by allowing the body to repair damage to the lining of the lungs, HealthDay News reported Dec. 7.

Researcher Martine Broekema of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and colleagues studied a group of 147 asthmatics that included current smokers, ex-smokers, and individuals who had never smoked. They found that current smokers produced more mucous than those who had never smoked, and that quitting smoking could reverse the thickening of the airways that contributed to asthma symptoms like overproduction of phlegm and shortness of breath.

The findings are published in the Dec. 15, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.