Acute Changes in Haematological Parameters on Cessation of Smoking

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is known to affect many haematological parameters but little is known of their rate of return to normal on withdrawal of cigarettes. Two groups of chronic smokers were studied whilst smoking and in the 2 weeks after cessation. A rapid return towards normal was found in the elevated haemoglobm concentration, packed cell volume, red cell count, white cell count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count and platelet count, indicating that at least some of the abnormalities in these parameters are an acute, reversible effect of cigarette smoking rather than being a response to tissue damage.

Biomarkers of Exposure and Potential Harm in Two Weeks of Smoking Abstinence: Changes in Biomarkers of Platelet Function, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation

“…Other BoPH that are consistently elevated in smokers include the total WBC count and its composite leukocyte subpopulations, and RBC parameters. The rapid declines we observed in WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts in smoking abstinence are consistent with the findings from a previous 2-week smoking cessation study [ 35 ]. Further, short-term switching to cessation or electrically heated cigarettes also significantly lowers neutrophil count within three days [ 36 ].…”

“…A second limitation of the study is that due to the limited enrollment of women in the study, we were not able to assess the impact of sex as a confounding factor. However, two studies that had a more even distribution of males and females also reported reductions in WBC, neutrophils, and lymphocytes upon smoking cessation for two weeks [ 35 ] or 26 weeks [ 45 ], although the studies did not specifically analyze the effect of sex.…”

The Effects Of Hydro- Ethanolic Extract Of Euphorbia Hirta Leaves Extract On Hemato-Biochemical Changes In Cigarette Smoke-Exposed Rats

“…The mechanism for smokinginduced increase in WBC count is not clear. It has been suggested that inflammatory stimulation of the bronchial tract induces an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood but it has also been suggested that nicotine may induce an increase in blood lymphocyte counts (Bain et al, 1992). Decreased levels of hemoglobin are correlated with decreased numbers or sizes of RBCs.…”

Effect of Smoking on the Red Blood Cell Count, Hemoglobin Concentration, Hematocrit and Red Cell Indices in Adult Male Smokers

“…High level of RBC (>7 million cells/microlitre) is termed as polycythemia and very high RBC mass slows blood velocity and increased the risk of intravascular clotting, coronary vascular resistance, decreased coronary blood flow and a predisposition to thrombosis 7 . This elevation may lead to congenital heart disease, pulmonary fibrosis and elevated erythropoietin [19][20][21] . The mechanism by which the polycythemia causes thrombosis is still under investigation but smoking cigarettes creates a unique condition of combined polycythemia to chronic hypoxia leading to elevated red cell production due to an elevated carboxyhemoglobin level, with concomitant plasma volume reduction 18,20 .…”