Asthma linked to smoking, nicotine

CINCINNATI, March 30 (UPI) -- A lifetime history of daily smoking and nicotine dependence can increase the risk of asthma, U.S. researchers suggest.

Alison McLeish of the University of Cincinnati, Jesse Cougle of Florida State University and Michael Zvolensky of the University of Vermont analyzed data from the National Comorbity Survey-Replication -- a large epidemiological survey of U.S. adults.

The study, published in the Journal of Health Psychology, found people diagnosed with asthma were 1.26 times more likely to have been a smoker and twice as likely to have been nicotine dependent at some point in their lifetimes -- compared to those without asthma.

The researchers found the asthma-smoking association was stronger when focusing on nicotine dependence in the past 12 months.

"Individuals with asthma were nearly three times as likely as those without asthma to have reported nicotine dependence in the past 12 months after controlling for demographic and drug abuse/dependence variables," the study said.