People with multiple sclerosis who smoke cigarettes may accelerate the disease, researchers warned last night.
Just six months worth of smoking can contribute to greater destruction of the brain linked to MS, according to a new analysis.
Doctors said the brain damage linked to smoking was "wide ranging".
Researcher Professor Robert Zivadinov said: "Cigarette smoking is one of the most compelling environmental risk factors linked to the development and worsening of MS."
He added: "These results show that smoking appears to quite literally injure the brain in a person with multiple sclerosis and increases the risk of disease severity and progression."
The findings, reported in the journal Neurology, come from a study of 368 patients at the University of Buffalo, Mew York, USA.
Some 240 were non-smokers and 96 were regular smokers. The remaining 32 had smoked for short periods in the past. Their average age was just 44.
Researcher Dr Bianca Weinstock-Guttman said: "The findings underscore the detrimental effect of smoking, providing a link between smoking and a more severe brain injury in MS patients."
Neurology August 18 2009
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