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Cigarette Smoke Exposure in Mice using a Whole-Body Inhalation System
Published on: October 22, 2020
Smoking and disease progression in multiple sclerosis
Brian C Healy1, Eman N Ali, Charles R G Guttmann
1Department of Neurology, Partners MS Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Archives of Neurology
|July 15, 2009
Summary
Smoking accelerates multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. Current smokers show worse baseline MS and faster disease advancement, including conversion to secondary progressive MS.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroimmunology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cigarette smoking is a known risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS).
- The impact of smoking on the progression of MS remains unclear.
- Understanding this relationship is crucial for patient management and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between cigarette smoking and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).
- To evaluate the effects of smoking on both clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes in MS patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey and longitudinal follow-up study of 1465 patients with clinically definite MS.
- Participants were categorized into never-smokers, ex-smokers, and current smokers.
- Outcomes included Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) progression, time to secondary progressive MS, and changes in brain parenchymal fraction and T2 lesion volume.
Main Results:
- Current smokers exhibited significantly worse baseline MS characteristics, including higher EDSS scores, MS Severity Scores, and lower brain parenchymal fraction.
- Current smokers were more likely to have primary progressive MS and progressed from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive MS faster than never-smokers.
- Smokers showed a faster increase in T2 lesion volume and a more rapid decrease in brain parenchymal fraction.
Conclusions:
- Cigarette smoking adversely influences the progression of multiple sclerosis.
- Smoking accelerates the conversion of MS from a relapsing-remitting course to a progressive one.
- These findings highlight the detrimental role of smoking in MS disease activity and advancement.
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