ASSOCIATION OF SMOKING HABITS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Background: Cigarette smoke contains various toxic substances, including nicotine, which has been shown to impair insulin action in the body. Additionally, smoking-induced inflammation and oxidative stress are thought to play a role in the development of insulin resistance, a hallmark of T2D. Methodology: Patients more than 40 years of age and had a history of smoking for more than 5 years attending outpatient department of hospital were included. Participants were classified as diabetic according to the American Diabetes Association guidelines. Blood pressure was assessed following the guidelines of the International Society of Hypertension. Predictor variables analyzed for their association with T2DM risk included cigarette smoking, age, gender, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and alcohol use. Results: Increasing age and diastolic blood pressure were significantly associated with higher odds of T2DM in both analyses. Female gender showed no association in the univariate model but became significant after adjustment, indicating potential confounding. Cigarette smoking was a strong independent risk factor, with smokers having over 3 times higher odds of T2DM. BMI and systolic BP were significant in univariate analysis but lost significance after adjustment. Conclusion: Strengthening public awareness, improving access to cessation support, and integrating smoking control into chronic disease prevention frameworks could potentially curb the twin epidemics of smoking and diabetes.