Blackwell J, Saxena S, Alexakis C, et al. – In this study, researchers examined the effect of smoking status and cessation on subsequent corticosteroid use, thiopurine use, hospitalization, and rates of colectomy amongst patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Incident cases of UC during 2005-2016 were identified using a nationally representative clinical research database. During the study period, the authors identified 6,754 patients with new diagnoses of UC and smoking status data—878 of whom were diagnosed smokers. UC smokers and non-smokers had similar results in flares, thiopurine use, corticosteroid dependency, hospitalization, and colectomy. Findings suggested no association of smoking cessation with worse disease course. Smoking-related hazards seemed to outweigh any advantages. Patients with UC should, therefore, be advised not to smoke, concluded the authors.