RESEARCH - Smoking boosts MS risk

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Smoking Boosts Multiple Sclerosis Risk

Gandey

September 2, 2009 — Evidence is mounting that people at risk for

autoimmune disease are especially susceptible to the harmful effects

of smoking, but a new study suggests that nicotine might not be the

culprit. The results appear in the September 1 issue of Neurology.

Those who stopped smoking saw their risk decline quite quickly.

" Our study confirms that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of

multiple sclerosis, " lead investigator Hedström, MD, from the

Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, said during an interview.

" We found that the more a person smokes, the greater the risk. But

what is interesting is we found that those who stopped smoking saw

their risk decline quite quickly, and some exsmokers were as healthy

as people who never smoked. "

But in a surprising twist, researchers found that smokeless tobacco

did not increase this risk. " That's not to say it isn't bad for you, "

Dr. Hedström told Medscape Neurology. " Other studies have linked it to

heart disease and cancer — particularly lip cancer. " She suggests that

carcinogens other than nicotine might be affecting the immune system.

Speaking on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Aprile

Royal, assistant vice president of clinical programs, said that " there

are lots of reasons not to smoke; it is bad for anyone. But for people

with multiple sclerosis or those at particular risk, smoking is

especially dangerous. "

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Read the full article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/708283

Not an MD