Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de Coimbra, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
Research Article
A Link between Smoking and Age at Onset in Multiple Sclerosis
Author(s): Claudia Lima, Rita Machado, Zoi Argyropoulou, Ines Correia, Carla Cecilia Nunes, Maria Carmo Macario, Livia Sousa and Sonia Batista*
Background: Smoking has been suggested to increase susceptibility to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and also disease progression, associated with higher disability and higher risk of conversion to progressive disease phenotypes. However, the effect of smoking and smoking intensity on MS progression remains unclear.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of smoking and smoking intensity on the susceptibility to and progression of MS.
Methods: Demographic and clinical data were collected. Patients were divided according to their smoking status at the time of MS onset (non-smokers and regular-smokers) or current smoking status (non-smokers, current-smokers, past-smokers and secondhand smokers). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSSv20.0, and a p-value<0.05 was considered statistically s.. View More»
DOI:
10.35248/2376-0389.26.13.01.001-005