Smoking tied to higher psoriasis risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adding to the list of possible health consequences from smoking, a large study suggests that smokers have an increased risk of developing the chronic skin condition psoriasis. People with psoriasis develop thick, red, scaly patches on the skin, which are often itchy or sore. Experts believe the disease is caused by an abnormal immune system attack on the body's own cells. Some studies have suggested that smokers are more vulnerable to psoriasis, possibly because the habit can affect immune activity. But most have studied people at only one time-point, which makes it hard to be sure the smoking came before the psoriasis. So for the new study, researchers used data from three large, long-running studies...

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Posted in: HEALTH