Smoking may be causal factor in developing schizophrenia: researchers
From The GlobeandMail.com
In research that turns on its head previous thinking about links between schizophrenia and smoking, scientists say they have found that cigarettes may be a causal factor in the development of psychosis.
After analyzing almost 15,000 tobacco users and 273,000 non-users and their relative rates of psychosis – where patients can experience delusions, paranoia and hear voices in their heads – the researchers said cigarette smoking appears to increase risk.
“While it’s always hard to determine the direction of causality, our findings indicate that smoking should be taken seriously as a possible risk factor for developing psychosis,” James MacCabe, a psychosis expert who co-led the research at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, told reporters.
He added, however, that tobacco was only one of many factors, including certain genetic, diet, lifestyle and other influences, raising a person’s risk of developing schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder that affects around one in 100 people, typically begins in early adulthood. Its most common symptoms are disruptions in thinking and perception, and patients often have psychotic experiences.
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