Smoking may speed up the progression of multiple sclerosis

This is an automatically translated article.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the nervous system of the patient. The disease often progresses in several episodes, the first episodes can be prolonged. However, it has been found that tobacco use accelerates disease progression and shortens the duration of nerve damage.

1. What is multiple sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an immune system disorder that causes damage to the brain and spinal cord with impaired nerve function. The disease often causes inflammation in the nerves, if this condition is repeated many times, it will destroy the myelin sheath of the nerve, forming a scar on the nerve. Leads to slow or loss of nerve conduction.
Each progressive stage of the disease can last for a few days, weeks, or longer and then to an asymptomatic phase. The progression of the disease is related to many factors, of which smoking is a factor that has been recognized to accelerate the disease.
Symptoms of multiple sclerosis are caused by decreased conduction or blockage of nerves. Some manifestations of the disease may be encountered such as:
Paresthesia in the face, weakness or paralysis of the face. Eyelid drooping, strabismus, strabismus, visual disturbances, vision loss... Weakness of movement in hands or feet, easy to stumble. Difficulty speaking or slurred speech, difficulty in talking. Patients with this condition often have problems with sex. Other symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, difficulty controlling emotions... The symptoms can be very difficult to detect in the early stages. Then it will gradually increase in the subsequent stages of onset. In particular, patients are often sensitive to heat and may develop disease after exposure to hot environments. Currently, the exact cause of the immune attack on the nervous system is unknown. Therefore, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, treatment measures are usually symptomatic treatment to help relieve symptoms, fight inflammation, change habits, and the goal is to reduce symptoms. relapses and improve quality of life.

2. How bad is tobacco for multiple sclerosis?

Smoking can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, stroke and many other life-threatening diseases. Not only that, many recent studies show a link to the rate of development of multiple sclerosis, it accelerates the progression of nerve damage and reduces the quality of life of patients.
A study was conducted at the Department of Neurology of Guilan University of Health Sciences in Rasht, Iran. The researchers found that patients with recurrent multiple sclerosis who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day had a higher risk than non-smokers of developing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. While relapsing-remitting MS is characterized by periods of disease activity followed by periods of remission, people with secondary progressive MS are no longer in remission, but their disease remains at a high level. in remission but still active, not completely gone. Thereby increasing the level of damage in the nervous system, causing more severe symptoms. Since then, the researchers have concluded that smoking a lot every day has an effect on the progression of the disease, accelerating the disease
Another study on the impact of smoking on the progression of the disease multiple sclerosis conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2005, showed that the risk of developing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in smokers is more than three times higher than in smokers. in non-smokers with the recurrent form.
Although, the study found an association between smoking and disease progression. But no clear pathogenesis of this statement has been found and there have been no assessments of associated aggravating factors. However, not everyone knows that smoking is one of the unhealthy lifestyles, increasing the risk of many dangerous diseases. People with multiple sclerosis should try to quit smoking to reduce relapses and improve quality of life.
Quitting smoking is not an easy thing, especially for those who have been smoking for a long time. Therefore, if you want to quit smoking, you need high determination and support from your loved ones, sometimes you need to talk to experts to get the best advice.
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Reference source: healthline.com