Cigarette Smoking, Body Mass Index, and Stressful Life Events as Risk Factors for Psoriasis: Results from an Italian Case–Control Study
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Open Access
- 1 July 2005
- journal article
- Published by Elsevier BV in Journal of Investigative Dermatology
- Vol. 125 (1), 61-67
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-202x.2005.23681.x
Abstract
We conducted a case–control study to analyse the association of psoriasis of recent onset with smoking habits, body mass index (BMI) and stressful life events. Cases (n=560; median age 38) were patients with a first diagnosis of psoriasis and a history of skin manifestations of no longer than two years after the reported disease onset. Patients with a new diagnosis of skin diseases other than psoriasis (n=690; median age 36) were selected as controls. The risk of psoriasis was higher in ex- and current smokers than in never-smokers, the relative risk estimates (OR) being 1.9 for ex-smokers and 1.7 for smokers. Smoking was strongly associated with pustular lesions (32 patients, OR=5.3 for smokers). The frequency of psoriasis varied significantly in relation to a family history of psoriasis in first degree relatives, BMI (OR=1.6 and 1.9 for over weighted, BMI 26–29, and obese, BMI ≥ 30, respectively) and stressful life event score (compared to the lower index quartile, the OR being 2.2 for index values ≥115). Risk estimates, when taking into consideration the combined effect of these factors with smoking habits, were consistent with a multiplicative model of risk combination with no significant statistical interaction.Keywords
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