CIGARETTE-SMOKING IS NOT A RISK FACTOR IN ATOPIC-DERMATITIS

Background In recent years several diseases have been shown to have a relationship with smoking. Psoriasis is largely a disease of smokers, whereas acne appears to be associated with not smoking. Methods. One h undred and fifty patients with atopic dermatitis were sent a postal qu estionnaire on smoking habits and the results were compared with those from matched controls in the local community. Results. One hundred an d twenty-seven patients (85%) completed the questionnaire. There was n o apparent difference in the prevalence of current smokers amongst ato pic dermatitis patients compared with controls (odds ratio 1.1, 95% co nfidence limits 0.65-1.86, P = 0.8). Conclusions. There was no signifi cant difference between the smoking prevalence of patients with atopic dermatitis and matched controls.