Smoking and liver diseases: an updated review of pathogenesis, progression, and therapeutic implications
Abstract
Cigarette smoking, a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide, has increasingly been recognized as a significant and independent risk factor for the development and progression of various liver diseases. Historically, the direct impact of smoking on liver health received limited attention compared to its well-established effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. However, a growing body of evidence now unequivocally demonstrates that smoking negatively influences the incidence, severity, and outcomes of a wide spectrum of hepatic conditions, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), chronic viral hepatitis (HBV and HCV), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The detrimental effects of tobacco extend to patients undergoing liver transplantation, where smoking is associated with increased post-transplant complications and mortality. The underlying mechanisms are complex, involving direct and indirect toxic effects, immunologic dysregulation, and oncogenic pathways, primarily driven by oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and the presence of numerous carcinogens in tobacco smoke. This comprehensive review synthesizes current knowledge, highlighting the multifaceted ways in which smoking impacts liver health, from cellular injury and fibrosis progression to increased cancer risk and compromised transplant outcomes. In…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Tobacco and COPD: presenting the World Health Organization (WHO) Tobacco Knowledge Summary
- Comparative effects of e-cigarette smoking on periodontal status, salivary pH, and cotinine levels
- Association between exposure to environmental pollutants and increased oral health risks, a comprehensive review
- Influence of gestational window on offspring vascular health in rodents with in utero exposure to electronic cigarettes
- Natural products as kinase inhibitors in lung cancer: molecular mechanisms, therapeutic potential, and clinical trials
- Nicotine in electronic cigarettes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.