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Relation between nicotine intake and Alzheimer's disease
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|June 22, 1991
Summary
Smoking appears to be inversely associated with Alzheimer's disease risk. Nicotine may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, though smoking is not recommended.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
- The role of environmental factors, such as smoking, in AD etiology is under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between smoking and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
- To explore the potential role of nicotine in AD pathogenesis.
Main Methods:
- A population-based case-control study was conducted in The Netherlands.
- 198 patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease and 198 matched controls were analyzed.
- Familial cases of autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease were also included.
Main Results:
- A history of smoking was reported by 89/193 Alzheimer's disease patients versus 102/195 controls.
- Among individuals with a family history of dementia, smoking was less common in patients with AD (RR 0.35; 95% CI 0.16-0.78).
- Increased daily cigarette consumption before disease onset was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease (RR 0.3 for >21 cigarettes/day).
- In familial AD, smoking patients had a later age of onset by 4.17 years compared to non-smoking patients (p=0.03).
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest an inverse association between smoking and Alzheimer's disease.
- Nicotine's potential role in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease is hypothesized.
- Smoking cessation is still recommended due to other health risks.