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Now Psoriasis Added to the List of Smoking-induced Diseases
October 31, 2007 at 3:53 PM
General Health News
US scientists found that heavier smokers had a greater risk of the skin condition and this only fell back to normal 20 years after quitting.
The study of 79,000 nurses published in the American Journal of Medicine also found that people with psoriasis who smoke had more severe disease.
It is thought that toxins in cigarette smoke may affect parts of the immune system associated with psoriasis.
Psoriasis, occurs when the skin replaces itself too quickly, affects millions across the world. There are many different forms.
Previous research has reported links between smoking and psoriasis but was unable to look at whether smoking occurred before the onset of the condition.
The researchers reported 887 cases of psoriasis in nurses who took part in the 14-year study.
Compared with women who never smoked, the risk of psoriasis was 37% higher among past smokers and 78% higher among current smokers.
The more people had smoked over the years, the higher their risk and it took a couple of decades after stopping smoking before the risk fell back to that of non-smokers.
The team also found that exposure to passive smoke during pregnancy or childhood was associated with an increased risk of psoriasis.
Study leader, Dr Hyon Choi, researcher at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, said the findings provided a clear incentive for those with psoriasis to stop smoking as well as those at risk of the condition.
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