抽煙會加重MS的症狀!!

Patients who smoke appear to progress to severe disease more rapidly, study finds
研究顯示有抽煙的MS病患將會加速疾病症狀的嚴重程度!! 請勿等閒視之!!

吸煙對人體造成的眾多危害已為人所知。美國科研人員在最新一項研究中發現，吸煙還會導致多發性硬化症惡化。

　　多發性硬化症是一種免疫系統錯誤攻擊自身機體的自體免疫疾病，根據病損部位不同，多發性硬化症可引起人體多種功能障礙。

　　美國波士頓醫學院的研究人員在7月刊的《神經病學文獻》上報告說，他們對1465名多發性硬化症患者進行了調查。被調查者平均年齡42歲，患病平均時間為9．4年。他們當中的257人現在仍然吸煙，428人曾經吸煙但後來戒煙，780人從不吸煙。

　　調查開始時，吸煙患者的多發性硬化症病情就已經比其他兩組人嚴重。隨後，研究人員平均每隔3年對調查者進行一次回訪，以確定他們多發性硬化症的發展情況。結果發現，與其他兩組人相比，吸煙患者的多發性硬化症的病情出現惡化的概率最高。

　　研究人員由此得出結論，吸煙會加劇多發性硬化症的病情。

MONDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- In addition to the well-known hazards of smoking, research now suggests that the dangerous habit causes a more rapid progression of multiple sclerosis.

The new findings are from a study that included 1,465 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, average age 42, who had had MS for an average of 9.4 years. There were 257 current smokers, 428 past smokers and 780 participants who had never smoked.

At the start of the study, current smokers had significantly more severe disease and were also more likely to have primary progressive MS (a steady decline in health status), rather than relapsing-remitting MS (alternating periods with and without symptoms).

The Boston researchers tracked a group of 891 patients for an average of three years to identify how many changed from relapsing-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS, which is a steady decline that develops after a period of relapsing-remitting MS. During the follow-up, this change was seen in 20 of 154 smokers, 20 of 237 ex-smokers and 32 of 500 never-smokers.

"The conversion from relapsing-remitting MS to secondary progressive MS occurred faster in current smokers compared with never-smokers, but was similar in ex-smokers and never-smokers," according to Brian C. Healy of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues.

The study was reported in the July issue of Archives of Neurology.

The findings "support the hypothesis that cigarette smoking has an adverse effect on progression of MS as measured by clinical and MRI outcomes," the study authors concluded. "Although causality remains to be proved, these findings suggest that patients with MS who quit smoking may not only reduce their risk of smoking-related diseases but also delay the progression of MS."

抽煙會加重MS的症狀!!