Smoking can trigger or agravate multiple sclerosis

Today I came upon an intriguing article, recent studies seem to prove that smoking corelates with the onset and the agravation of the multiple sclerosis. Seems hard to believe? Well, I will present to you a short description and the conclusions of those studies together with the links of those articles.
1. The first study that I will present to you involves the effects of parental smoking at home and the risk of childhood on-set MS in children. The study involved 129 cases of MS and 1038 control cases, to every MS case corresponded 12 control cases that matched in sex, age and geographic origin, the subjects were selected randomly, the information about smoking habits were obtained from both groups using a standardized questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the rate ratio (RR) of MS associated with parental smoking at home. Exposure to parental smoking was noted in 62.0% of cases and 45.1% of controls.The study demonstrated that a first episode of MS associates with exposure to parental smoking at home (RR 2,12 ; 95% confidence interval 1.43–3.15). The risk was significantly associated with the longer duration of exposure in older cases (over 10 years of age at the time of the index episode)—RR 2.49 (1.53–4.08)—than in younger cases.
The study concluded that children exposed to parent smoking have a higher MS risk. The duration of exposure also affects the level of risk.
Full article is found here.
2. Another study carried out by Women's Hospital in Boston (US) using clinical informations, MRI immages, a survey poll and longitudinal follow-up with an average duration of 3,29 years ended in january 2008 on 1465 MS pacients with an average age of 42 years old. 53,2% representing 780 pacients have never smoked, 29,2% representing 428 pacients were ex-smokers and 17,5% representing 257 pacients were active smokers.
Conclusions: the active smokers showed a considerable agravated condition in terms of EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale) Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score and a considerable parenchimal cerebral fraction. Furthermore, active smokers showed a higher probability to develop Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis than the other subjects. A longitudinal analysis brought to attention the fact that the relapsing-remitting MS turned into Secondary Progressive MS faster in the case of active smokers. In addition the volume of T2 lession enlarged faster in the smoker pacients while their parenchimal cerebral fraction dimished faster.
The final conclusions of this study is that cigarette smoke has a negative influence on the progression of the MS and accelerates the conversion rate from Relapsing Remitting form to a progressive form.
Full article is found here although in italian.

This dicoveries bring to my mind the following considerations:
- if you care about your MS quality life don't start smoking or stop smoking
- if the people close to you continue to smoke in your presence after they are informed of these new discoveries it means that they don't care about you, they don't care about your life and your health and they don't really love you.

• My advice to all of you MS pacients is to take control of your present situation, win the cigarette's fight, you only live once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!