2024-01-31 01:01:00
“Encouraging people to quit smoking is crucial, given its tangible impact on reducing the likelihood of developing ALS,” the researchers noted.
(Ernie Mundell – HealthDay News) — New research is helping to confirm that smoking is a risk factor for the devastating brain disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
ALS affects about 31,000 Americans each year, with about 5,000 new cases diagnosed annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is a progressive, fatal disease that causes the nerve cells that They control the muscles to die slowly, causing weakness and paralysis.
The causes of ALS are unknown, and even the risk factors for the disease remain unclear.
In their new research, a South Korean team analyzed data from 32 different studies for possible links between smoking and ALS. They found that people who had smoked were 12 percent more likely to develop ALS compared to those who had not, and the risks increased even further if the person was a current smoker.
ALS affects about 31,000 Americans each year, with about 5,000 new cases diagnosed annually, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“One of our most important findings was the dose-response analysis, which revealed an inverted U-shaped curve,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Yun Hak Kim, of the department of biomedical informatics at Pusan National University. , in Busan, Korea.
According to Kim, a U-shaped curve means that the “risk associated with smoking is not a linear progression.”
“Instead, it peaks and then begins to decline or plateau, suggesting that ALS risk is influenced by the intensity of smoking,” he said in a university news release.
Gender also seemed to play a role.
The link between smoking and ALS appeared to be strongest for female smokers, who were 20 percent more likely to have the disease than women who had not smoked. After adjusting for other potential risk factors, that additional risk increased to 25 percent, the study found. The findings were published in the January issue of the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases.
Researchers found that people who had smoked were 12 percent more likely to develop ALS compared to those who had not.
There are many good reasons to quit smoking, and now “encouraging people to quit smoking is crucial, given its tangible impact on reducing the likelihood of developing ALS,” the researchers noted.
More information
Learn more about ALS from the ALS Association.
SOURCE: Pusan University, press release, January 29, 2024
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