Smoking Significantly Increases Psoriasis Relapse Risk, reveals research
Researchers have established that smoking tobacco has a high likelihood of increasing the risk of relapse in patients receiving treatment for psoriasis. The study was recently published in the journal of Psoriasis by Shen F. and fellow researchers. The results indicate that smoking not only influences the severity and onset of psoriasis but also potentially has a central part in reducing the success of long-term treatment, highlighting the extreme significance of giving up smoking in the care of chronic skin disorders.
551 adult psoriasis patients participated in the study, 75.7% of whom were male with a mean age of 45.8 years. A formal observational design was used, with information assessed by standardized questionnaire and physical examination at baseline, week 12, week 24, and week 48. Improvement was quantified by PASI scores. PASI50 and PASI75 indicated 50% and 75% improvement, respectively, and relapse was identified by the loss of at least 50% of this improvement after week 12. 282 out of the total participants were current smokers (51.2%). Researchers took special notice of the presence of smoking behavior and its level, which was measured through daily cigarette consumption and smoking duration.
Results
• At week 12, the relapse rates among those who had reached PASI50 were 41.2% at week 24 and 61.6% at week 48.In patients who reached PASI75, relapse rates were co nsiderable but lower: 27.6% at week 24 and 51.7% at week 48.
• Tobacco smokers particularly had very high relapse rates compared with non-smokers, especially in the PASI75 group.
• Logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk of relapse was over twice as great among smokers than non-smokers, with an odds ratio of 2.10 (95% CI: 1.17–3.78) at week 24 and 1.84 (95% CI: 1.07–3.14) at week 48, even when controlling for other factors of influence.
•Also, individuals with longer durations of smoking and larger daily cigarette consumption had greatest rates of relapse.
The results of this large observational study strongly suggest tobacco smoking as an important and modifiable risk factor for relapse of psoriasis. The findings highlight the importance of integrating smoking cessation programs in the treatment plan for psoriasis to maximize long-term treatment outcome and minimize risk for relapse. Dermatologists and physicians need to actively advise psoriasis patients on the increased risk of relapse linked with smoking and assist them in quitting cigarette smoking.
Reference:
Shen F, Ding Y, Qiang Y, Duan Z, Xu Q, Gao X, Zhang R, Wang R. Tobacco Smoking Was Positively Associated with Disease Relapse at week 24 and 48 Among Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris in Shanghai: A Prospective Study. Psoriasis (Auckl). 2025;15:261-272
