Short-term nasty side effects to quitting cigs

SMOKERS should be warned they face higher risks of developing colds, coughs and mouth ulcers when they quit as medical experts say it could help them stay off cigarettes.

Doctors found smokers developed a number of unpleasant side effects up to two weeks after quitting and many ex-smokers could be deterred from staying the course unless they are told what to expect.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal’s Tobacco Control, studied 174 smokers at one, two and six weeks. After one or two weeks’ abstinence, the quitters were more likely to have cold symptoms, including sore throats, coughing and sneezing.