A selection of abstracts of clinically relevant papers from other journals. The abstracts on this page have been chosen and edited by John R. Radford.
Abstract
'...the risk of psychotic disorder was increased modestly by daily smoking.'
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Gurillo P, Jauhar S et al. Lancet Psychiatry 2015; 8: 718–725
Smoking cigarettes is associated with health risks. When considering dentistry, there is moderate evidence that smoking is linked to tooth loss (BMC Public Health 2011; 11: 221). Upstream approaches are central to enable changes in lifestyle. But in addition, healthcare workers including dental care professionals have a role in supporting those who wish to quit smoking. This meta-analysis examined the link between smoking and psychosis, particularly schizophrenia. Those with a psychotic illness may smoke to alleviate the distress of the condition, or because of the side-effects of the antipsychotic medication.
These investigators analysed 61 studies. Daily tobacco use was associated with: 1) increased risk of psychosis (for prospective studies, there was an overall relative risk of 2·18 – smokers were over twice the risk of developing psychosis compared with non-smokers), and 2) the age of onset of psychotic illness was earlier; although those with a psychosis did not smoke at an younger age than healthy controls. Few of the included studies reported on the consumption of other substances such as cannabis.
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Does tobacco cause psychosis? Systematic review and meta-analysis. Br Dent J 219, 215 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2015.682
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2015.682