Pipe and Cigar Smoking Are Associated with Airflow Obstruction

The effect of pipe and cigar use on lung function is not well defined. Using a population-based sample selected from six U.S. communities, investigators studied 3528 adults who did not have restrictive patterns on lung spirometry. Most participants were current or former smokers; 9% had smoked pipes, 11% had smoked cigars, and 52% had smoked cigarettes. Most pipe or cigar smokers (88%) also had smoked cigarettes.

Urine cotinine levels were highest among current cigarette smokers; they also were elevated among pipe smokers, and less so among cigar smokers, compared with never smokers. In adjusted analyses, pipe or cigar smoking only (i.e., no cigarette smoking) was associated significantly with airflow obstruction (forced expiratory volume in…