Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Smoking Doubles Risk Of Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease LONDON, ENGLAND -- June 19, 1998 -- Cigarette smokers are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than are non-smokers, according to a large study in this week's issue of The Lancet. Smokers are also more likely to develop vascular dementia-another common form of dementia caused by vascular disease and strokes. Dr. A. Ott and colleagues from The Netherlands followed up 6,870 men and women, aged 55 years and older, living in a Rotterdam suburb. At the start of the study, none of the men or women had dementia. They were asked about their smoking habits and classified as never smokers, former smokers, or current smokers. They were then followed up for an average of two years. Any participants who developed signs of possible dementia during the study underwent neuropsychological assessment and, if possible, a brain scan to find out if they had Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia. In the study 146 individuals developed dementia during the study, of whom 105 were diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease. Current smokers were more than twice as likely to develop dementia of any kind and Alzheimer's disease compared with never smokers. Smokers also tended to develop dementia at a younger age. However, Dr. Ott and colleagues found that smokers who carry the gene for a protein that has been linked to Alzheimer's disease -- APOE epsilon 4 -- are no more likely to develop the disease than are non-smokers. But those who do not carry the gene are more than four times more likely to develop the disease. Why APOE epsilon 4 might protect smokers is not clear. One explanation, say the researchers, might be that smoking alters brain chemistry in a way that counters some effects of Alzheimer's disease. Another is that smokers with APOE epsilon 4 might die young and do not live long enough to develop the disease. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version