Eberhard Spoerl1, F Raiskup-Wolf, Eberhard Kuhlisch, Lutz E. Pillunat
1Department of Ophthalmology, Technical University Dresden, Germany. [email protected]
Tóm tắt
<h4>PURPOSE</h4><p> To investigate a correlation between cigarette smoking and keratoconus.</p>
<h4>METHODS</h4><p>Patients with keratoconus who were treated with corneal collagen cross-linking from June 2006 to November 2007 were asked about their smoking habits. A person smoking a minimum of two cigarettes per day for more than 1 year was classified as a smoker.</p>
<h4>RESULTS</h4><p>A total of 180 patients with keratoconus (mean age 28±9 years [range: 15 to 41 years]) were asked about their smoking habits. One hundred seventy-one (95%) were non-smokers and only 9 (5%) were smokers (95% confidence interval, 2.31 to 9.28). Using the chi-square test, a significant correlation was found between non-smokers and keratoconus (<i>P</i><.001). </p>
<h4>CONCLUSIONS</h4><p>In this group of patients with keratoconus, few were smokers. Cigarette smoke contains toxic substances. Consequently, people are advised not to smoke. However, we speculate that the by-products of cigarette smoke may lead to cross-linking of collagen, which in the cornea, may prevent the development and progression of keratoconus. [<cite>J Refract Surg.</cite> 2008;24:S737-S740.]</p>
<h4>ABOUT THE AUTHORS</h4>
<p>From the Department of Ophthalmology (Spoerl, Raiskup-Wolf, Pillunat) and Institute of Medical Informatics and Biometry (Kuhlisch), Technical University Dresden, Germany.</p>
<p>The authors have no commercial or proprietary interest in the materials presented herein.</p>
<p>Presented in part at the International Congress of Corneal Cross-Linking; December 7-8, 2007; Zurich, Switzerland.</p>
<p>Correspondence: Eberhard Spoerl, PhD, Dept of Ophthalmology, Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital, Fetscherstr 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany. Tel: 49 351 458 3763; Fax: 49 351 458 4335; E-mail: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> </p>
