Cigarette smoking and progression in multiple sclerosis

Objective: To investigate the influence of cigarette smoking on progression and disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis ( MS). Methods: Information on past and present smoking of 364 patients with MS was obtained through a structured questionnaire survey. We used Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox regression models to evaluate the influence of smoking on the development and age at onset of secondary progression, on the age at onset of progression in patients with primary progressive MS, and on the time from disease onset to Expanded Disability Status Scale ( EDSS) scores 4.0 and 6.0 in all patients. We also investigated the correlation between smoked pack-years and EDSS scores and the rate of progression as measured with the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score. Results: We found no significant associations between cigarette smoking and any of the used measures. Conclusion: Our data suggest that cigarette smoking has no influence on disease progression or accumulation of disability in multiple sclerosis.