In a prospective analysis, current and past smoking, and cumulative measures of smoking were associated with the incidence of psoriasis. Prenatal and childhood exposure to passive smoke was associated with an increased risk of psoriasis.
The risk of psoriasis among former smokers decreases nearly to that of never smokers 20 years after cessation.
Psoriasis is a common, chronic, inflammatory skin disorder. Smoking may increase the risk of psoriasis, but no prospective data have been available on this relation.
The researchers from Harvard Medical School prospectively examined over a 14-year time period (1991-2005) the relation between smoking status, duration, intensity, cessation, and exposure to second hand smoke, and incident psoriasis in 78,532 women from the Nurses Health Study II.
Results
The researchers documented 887 cases of psoriasis. Compared with those who had never smoked, the relative risk (RR) of psoriasis was 1.78 (95% confidence interval, 1.46 to 2.16) for current smokers and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.17 to 1.59) for past smokers.
Compared with never smokers, the RR of psoriasis was 1.61 (95% CI, 1.30 to 2.00) for those who quit smoking <10 years ago, 1.31 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.64) for 10-19 years ago, and 1.15 (95% CI, 0.88 to 1.51) for ≥20 years ago.
Smoking cessation may be a potentially important target for the prevention and management of psoriasis.
SOURCES: Setty, A et al. Smoking and the Risk of Psoriasis in Women: Nurses' Health Study II.
American Journal of Medicine, Volume 120, Issue 11, Pages 953-959 (November 2007)
Uutistiedote
