Smoking women prone to seizures and epilepsy, study finds

Researchers in Boston, USA, have found that smoking increases the risk of seizures and epilepsy in women.　　Female smokers are two or three times times more likely to have seizures than women who smoke, and women with a history of smoking have a higher risk of epilepsy than women who never smoked.　　Increase the risk of morbidity Dr Barbara Dvoretsky, who led the Harvard School of Medicine and Brigham Gynecological Hospital, based on a 1989-year survey of Nurses ' health, came to the conclusion. The respondents were 11. 60,000 female nurses aged between 25 and 42 years old. The researchers distributed questionnaires to nurses asking about their lifestyles and the history of seizures or convulsions.　　Feedback showed that 95 people had seizures, and 151 were diagnosed with epilepsy. The researchers reported 26th that a combination of strokes, brain tumours, high blood pressure and other related factors showed a significant correlation between smoking and spasticity, and that smokers were 2 more likely to have seizures than non-smokers.　　6 times times more people who have a history of smoking are 46% more likely to develop epilepsy than non-smokers.　　"Our analysis showed a significant increase in the chances of smokers having seizures, but this is not related to the number of daily smokers," Dvoretsky said. Nothing to do with coffee and wine researchers say smoking increases the risk of cramping and epilepsy with physiological reasons. Previous research has shown that high levels of nicotine can cause convulsions in animals and humans.　　In addition, smoking nicotine in the body excited, will reduce the body's oxygen supply, resulting in sleep problems, may also cause spasm. Previously, some experts believed that nicotine, multiple alcohol and caffeine could cause convulsions.　　But Dvoretsky's study found that women who drank coffee or alcohol did not increase the risk of cramping or epilepsy.　　Researchers compared the average daily intake of caffeine with 400 mg or less than 200 mg of caffeine, and found no association between caffeine and seizures or epilepsy. The researchers also compared the daily intake of 0 from those who did not drink.　　Moderate drinkers of 1 grams to 15.9 grams of alcohol and heavy drinkers who consumed more than 30 grams of alcohol a day did not find alcohol associated with seizures or seizures.　　A precautionary approach the findings are published in the online edition of the journal Epilepsy.　　"Our findings do not apply to men, young or elderly people, given the good health knowledge of the respondents," Dvoretsky said.　　She said that at present people are almost ignorant of how to prevent epilepsy, "if the results of this study is correct, not smoking may be a way".　　She says further research is needed to find effective ways to prevent seizures or epilepsy. The World Health Organization report shows that around 50 million people are currently suffering from epilepsy. Epilepsy is caused by abnormal discharge of brain neurons in the sudden, repetitive and transient brain dysfunction, can be manifested in sports, sensation, consciousness, mental and other functional disorders. Reuters said that two or more of the unprovoked spasm is generally diagnosed as epilepsy. (huangmin)