There are lots of ways to deal with stress.
Some are healthy, some…not so much. For many, smoking is a “go-to” stress reliever. Never mind that it probably causes more stress than it relieves, but die-hard smokers are convinced it helps even as a growing mountain of evidence shows that it creates more problems (thousands) than it solves (zero).
Now it’s time to toss another problem on Mt. Evidence. If you’re a proud puffer AND have ankylosing spondylitis (AS), reach for your ashtray, because this one’s for you.
Ankylosing spondylitis patients beware! Cigarettes have been known to carry over 7,000 chemicals. That’s 3 zeroes!
A study presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology on June 10-13 in Rome showed a connection between smoking and radiographic progression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Because of course it did!
The study looked at 76 AS patients—among them, 32 smokers—and took radiographs every three years. Thirty-five of the original 76 patients showed changes in their Modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS)…which basically translates to a small amount of radiographic progression each year. Among the findings, researchers were able to link smoking, methylation status (which refers to how DNA turns signals on or off) and radiographic progression of AS. Compared to the non-smokers in the study, smokers had worse radiographic progression of their AS.
Though the association was not statistically significant, study investigator Dr. Proton Rahman (Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada) states on spondylitis.org that “environmental triggers—such as smoking—could lead to epigenetic changes that accelerate the damage caused by the disease.” Dr. Rahman was hopeful that further investigations into how these changes occur could pave the way for future AS therapies.
So the bad news? No more ciggies for you, AS peeps! The good news? That smoking connection could lead the way to something a hell of a lot better down the road: A new treatment.
Until them…want a piece of gum?
