WEDNESDAY, April 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Tobacco smoking is negatively associated with resolution of psoriasis symptoms, according to a study published in the April issue of Tobacco Induced Diseases.

Yan Qiang, from the School of Medicine at Tongji University in Shanghai, and colleagues explored the influence of smoking on treatment efficacy in patients with psoriasis. The analysis included 560 patients with psoriasis (72.9 percent were men). 

The researchers found that a higher proportion of patients without tobacco smoking achieved ≥75 percent reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI75) score at week 8. For nonsmokers versus smokers, current smokers, and former smokers, the odds of PASI75 were greater (adjusted odds ratios, 11.43, 14.14, and 3.05, respectively). Compared with current smokers, former smokers had higher PASI75 achievement (adjusted odds ratio, 3.37). Individuals with younger smoking initiation age, longer smoking duration, and higher smoking intensity had lower PASI75 achievement.

"Tobacco smoking was negatively associated with the proportion of PASI75 achievement among patients with psoriasis, both for those with current or former tobacco smoking habits. Moreover, former smokers had a higher proportion of PASI75 achievement than current smokers," the authors write. "We recommend the implementation of tobacco control measures, the provision of patient-centered, culturally sensitive cessation guides, and bedside support to improve the treatment response among patients with psoriasis." 

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