For patients with psoriasis, smoking has negative effects, including increased frequency of nail involvement and cardiovascular diseases and higher psoriasis area and severity index, according to a study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice. Researchers examined smoking habits in 133 patients with psoriasis and assessed the impact of smoking on disease characteristics. Of the psoriasis patients, 67.6% were smokers. Compared with nonsmokers, smokers had higher frequencies of the presence of moderate-to-severe psoriasis, nail involvement, administration of systemic treatment, and additional cardiovascular disease. There was a positive correlation seen between the amount of smoking and psoriasis area and severity index. “Smoking has many negative effects for patients with psoriasis, such as increase in disease severity, nail involvement, and cardiovascular disease frequency,” the authors write. “Questioning the habit of smoking and supporting smoking cessation could make a contribution to the management of the negative effects of psoriasis.”
