Smoking raises the risk of psoriasis, a study by American and Canadian researchers has found.
Scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard School of Public Health and Vancouver General Hospital carried out a study on 116,608 female nurses.
Their aim was to determine whether there was a link between smoking and psoriasis, a recurrent skin condition that affects approximately two per cent of people in the UK.
The results revealed that current smokers had a 78 per cent higher risk of psoriasis than people who had never smoked, while people who had given up smoking retained a 37 per cent elevated risk of the condition.
Dr Hyon K Choi, one of the authors of the report in the American Journal of Medicine, wrote: "These findings, along with well-established hazardous health effects of smoking, provide clear incentives for smoking cessation in those at risk for and suffering from psoriasis."
People with psoriasis are advised to moisturise on a regular basis as this can help to relieve the discomfort associated with the condition.
Smoking raises the risk of psoriasis, a study by American and Canadian researchers has found.
