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Smoking Raises Risk of Kidney Disease |
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THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDayNews) -- Long-term and heavy smokers have about a 50 percent increased risk of progressive kidney disease, a new Swedish study says.
Researchers assessed tobacco use and other risk factors among 926 people with chronic renal failure (CRF) and 998 people with normal kidney function. Chronic renal failure is a gradual, irreversible loss of kidney function that leads to end-state renal failure. Treatment can slow the rate of kidney deterioration in people with CRF, but can't restore normal kidney function.
The study found that people who smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a day had a 51 percent greater risk of CRF than people who never smoked. People who smoked for more than 40 years had a 45 percent increased risk of CRF.
Based on their findings, the researchers estimated that smoking is responsible for about 9 percent of CRF cases among Swedes. The study confirms that smoking is a significant but preventable risk factor for kidney disease.
The study appears in the August issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has information about how you can prevent kidney disease.
(SOURCE: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, news release, July 22, 2004)
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