Smoking as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis
- PMID: 23257617
- DOI: 10.1177/1352458512470862
Smoking as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis
Abstract
Background: Smoking has been associated with an increased risk for multiple sclerosis, but no studies have measured levels of the nicotine metabolite cotinine in prospectively collected samples to assess exposure.
Objective: To investigate the effects of laboratory defined tobacco use on the risk for multiple sclerosis using prospectively collected biobank blood samples.
Methods: Levels of cotinine were measured in n=192 cases, and n=384 matched controls, using an immunoassay. The risk for multiple sclerosis was estimated using matched logistic regression.
Results: Elevated cotinine levels (≥10 ng/ml) were associated with a significantly increased risk for multiple sclerosis, (odds ratio, OR 1.5, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.0-2.1). This association was only present in young individuals (below median age at blood sampling, <26.4 years), (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.8).
Conclusions: This study confirms that smoking is a risk factor for multiple sclerosis. It has the advantage of using analyses of cotinine levels in samples that were collected several years before disease onset, thus excluding any risk for recall bias and minimising the risk for reversed causation. Our results also suggest that the smoking related immunological events that contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis occur early in life.
Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; case control study; risk factors in epidemiology; smoking.
Similar articles
-
Smoke exposure increases the risk for multiple sclerosis.Eur J Neurol. 2008 Jun;15(6):579-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2008.02122.x. Eur J Neurol. 2008. PMID: 18474075
-
Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is associated with increased risk for multiple sclerosis.Mult Scler. 2011 Jul;17(7):788-93. doi: 10.1177/1352458511399610. Epub 2011 Mar 3. Mult Scler. 2011. PMID: 21372120
-
Serum cotinine level as predictor of lung cancer risk.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Jun;15(6):1184-8. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-06-0032. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006. PMID: 16775179
-
[Smoking and multiple sclerosis].Rev Neurol. 2015 Feb 16;60(4):169-78. Rev Neurol. 2015. PMID: 25670047 Review. Spanish.
-
Organic solvent exposure as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis: An updated review.Rev Neurol (Paris). 2019 Dec;175(10):625-630. doi: 10.1016/j.neurol.2019.07.014. Epub 2019 Oct 29. Rev Neurol (Paris). 2019. PMID: 31676154 Review.
Cited by
-
Origins and immunopathogenesis of autoimmune central nervous system disorders.Nat Rev Neurol. 2023 Mar;19(3):172-190. doi: 10.1038/s41582-023-00776-4. Epub 2023 Feb 14. Nat Rev Neurol. 2023. PMID: 36788293 Review.
-
Multiple sclerosis is associated with high trait anger: a case-control study.J Neurol Sci. 2014 May 15;340(1-2):69-74. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2014.02.029. Epub 2014 Feb 26. J Neurol Sci. 2014. PMID: 24635887 Free PMC article.
-
Time trends in the incidence and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Norway during eight decades.Acta Neurol Scand. 2015;132(199):29-36. doi: 10.1111/ane.12428. Acta Neurol Scand. 2015. PMID: 26046556 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Impacts of environmental tobacco smoke on the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis: a systematic review.Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2024 Mar;82(3):1-10. doi: 10.1055/s-0044-1779271. Epub 2024 Mar 15. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2024. PMID: 38490261 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Association of adverse childhood experiences with the development of multiple sclerosis.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2022 Jun;93(6):645-650. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2021-328700. Epub 2022 Apr 4. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2022. PMID: 35379699 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
