Case report: Onset of ulcerative colitis after smoking cessation with a nicotine transdermal patch

Multiple studies have shown that non-smokers have a greater risk of developing ulcerative colitis than active smokers and that, among non-smokers, former smokers have a greater risk than never smokers. We report the development of new onset ulcerative colitis in a male smoker five months after discontinuation of a transdermal nicotine patch used to aid in smoking cessation, and speculate that nicotine patch therapy may have suppressed latent ulcerative colitis. To date, two studies have reported observations on the use of a transdermal nicotine patch as treatment for ulcerative colitis. Based on these observations, we believe that additional study of the transdermal nicotine patch as therapy for ulcerative colitis is warranted.