New Studies Confirm That Psoriasis Is Triggered and Aggravated by Smoking




cigarettes

Since 1994, medical journals have started publishing research on a possible connection between skin diseases and smoking. However, only now scientists have been able to confirm that the onset of various types of dermatitis, as well as psoriasis, can, indeed, be triggered by cigarettes. In addition, it has been discovered that “heavier” smokers are at an increased risk of contracting psoriases than “lighter” smokers. Smoking cessation has been positively associated with a decreased incidence of psoriases, however, the risk tends to diminish slowly.

A new study titled “Smoking and the Risk of Psoriasis in Women: Nurses’ Health Study II” was based on a larger, long-term clinical investigation that included more than 100,000 female nurses under 42 years old. The subjects were observed within a period of 14 years, during which every case of psoriasis was documented and correlated with present, or past, smoking habits of the participants. A cigarette smoke exposure was measured in “pack-years”, with one pack-year being equal to smoking one pack of cigarettes per day within a term of one year.

In the course of the study, almost 900 cases of psoriasis were documented. When the researchers compared the obtained results, they discovered that the incidence of psoriasis among smoking women was 78 percent higher than that of women who never puffed. Former smokers had a 37 percent increase in the disease compared with those nurses who never smoked. Also, women with more pack-years ran a significantly higher risk of contracting psoriasis than those who smoked less.

In addition, a higher risk of psoriasis was associated with an exposure to environmental tobacco smoke during childhood.

The researchers also revealed that ex-smokers had a better psoriasis prognosis than current smokers. Those who kicked the habit two decades ago have lowered their risk of developing the disease to almost that of never-smoking women.

The results of this groundbreaking research on smoking and psoriasis were published in The American Journal of Medicine as of November, 2007. Commenting on the findings, Dr. Hyon K. Choi said that smoking cessation was now proven to be a positive step for those who wanted to improve their psoriatic condition.

Two other studies, which appeared in the journal Archives of Dermatology as of December, 2006, reported on the association between smoking habits and the incidence and severity of psoriatic lesions observed in dermatological patients.

The first, cross-sectional study was conducted by Italian researchers in order to evaluate the link between the severity of psoriatic manifestations and the amount of smoked cigarettes in hospitalized patients. Data on more than 800 patients suffering from different degrees of psoriatic skin damage were collected and analyzed. As a result, the researchers arrived to the conclusion that heavy smoking (of more than 20 cigarettes a day) was associated with a double increase in the severity of psoriasis in comparison with lighter smoking (of about 10, or less, cigarettes a day).

Gender correlation showed that heavy female smokers were more likely to suffer from severe psoriasis than heavy male smokers.

The second study, conducted by researchers of the University of Utah School of Medicine, looked at the links between the incidence of psoriasis, on the one hand, and smoking and obesity, on the other. The study revealed that smoking was associated with an increased risk of developing psoriasis, while obesity did not seem to play a role in the onset of the disease.

Although psoriasis remains a mysterious and incurable disease, recent findings show that avoiding tobacco can be a good preventive measure against this challenging dermatological condition. Quitting smoking can also be helpful in reducing both the chances of contracting psoriasis and the severity of psoriatic manifestations.

Sylvia Dutka

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Posted on April 8, 2008 
Filed Under Facts on Smoking, Smoking and Health, Stop Smoking News, Tobacco Research

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