Link between childhood tobacco exposure and childhood psoriasis: A case‐control study

Abstract Introduction Childhood psoriasis is not uncommon, and its prevalence is estimated to be 128 per 100,000 children. There are sparse data regarding intrauterine and environmental tobacco smoke exposure and the development of psoriasis in childhood. In this study, we aimed to investigate these parameters in the Turkish pediatric population. Materials and Methods We included 130 children with psoriasis and 390 children as controls. For each risk factor, odds ratios of psoriasis as an estimate of relative risks and corresponding 95% confidence interval were calculated. Univariate conditional logistic regression analysis was used to determining the crude odds ratio. Subsequently, to evaluate the effects of potential confounding factors, multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis was used. Results Childhood psoriasis (CP) was found to be associated with environmental tobacco smoke exposure irrespective of intrauterine smoking exposure, family history of psoriasis, and obesity (OR: 2.23, 95% CI = 1.39–3.58), whereas multiple logistic regression analysis did not show a relationship between CP and intrauterine tobacco exposure (OR: 1.61, 95% CI = 0.75–3.43). Conclusions Environmental tobacco smoke exposure at home denotes an important preventable risk factor for developing CP. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between CP and environmental tobacco exposure investigating a large cohort of CP patients who have been diagnosed by expert dermatologists.