Dementia now linked to cigarette smoking

Several years back on this blog a study was discussed that proved a relationship with COPD and dementia.  I haven't seen much else on this subject until a March 3, 2014, post "COPD and Cognitive Loss," by Valerie Neff Newitt, at Advance: Respiratory Care and Sleep Medicine.

The article suggests that, if telling a patient that COPD is now the #3 cause of death isn't enough to convince them to quit smoking and make the necessary lifestyle changes necessary to improve lung function.

The article is based on a recent study by the Mayo Clinic that confirmed the earlier findings, adding that, acccording to  Newitt, people with COPD are twice as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is a fancy way of saying early dementia.

So now we can pretty much add dementia to the long list of co-morbidities associated with COPD, diseases which are linked to smoking cigarettes, which include the top four causes of death in America: heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and stroke.  It also includes diabetes, allergies, infertility, gum disease, and ulcers.

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