Effects of Smoking Among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), smoking has been associated with a shorter time to secondary progressive MS and worsening disability. To further examine the effects of smoking in this setting, investigators reviewed patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among 7983 MS patients in the U.K. MS Registry. Of these, 1315 were current smokers, 2815 were former smokers, and 3853 were never smokers. PROs for physical activities, walking, depression, and anxiety were higher (indicating higher disability) in current and former smokers than in never smokers. PROs did not improve in former smokers after quitting.

A prospective cohort analysis of 923 patients who reported outcomes annually showed that current smokers experienced worsening PROs for p…