Sapporo Medical Journal

Abstract : Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract (GI). The Major symptoms of CD are diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Smoking is one of the environmental factors that play an essential role in CD development and severity. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge of population about the relationship between Crohn's disease and smoking. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a multiple-choice questionnaire composed of 13 questions assessing individual's risk factors of CD and the awareness of its relation with smoking. The total number of participants enrolled in this study was 904 participants. 84.3% of participants are free of CD, and only thirteen participants (1.4%) are diagnosed with it. The participants were asked about whether they are smokers or not, and most of the participants (85.7%) were not smokers. Data showed that general non-smoker people are aware of the relationship between smoking and CD. On the other hand, most smokers are unaware of the relation between their habit and the disease.