Effect of Long Term Smoking on Manual Dexterity – An Observational Study on Chronic Smokers Between the Ages of 25 to 60 years

Volume : VIII, Issue : VI, June - 2018

Dr. Shivani Agarwal, Dr Sharad Patel

Background: Cigarette smoking remains one of the major health problems worldwide, a prime factor in major medical

illnesses, and contributing to cancer of many organs. It has also been associated with neurocognitive deficit. This study

evaluates the effect of smoking on the manual dexterity of chronic smokers between the ages of 25 to 60 years.

Methods: 100 healthy subjects were divided in 2 groups: Group A (Smokers) & Group B (Non smokers). Manual dexterity was assessed using the

O‘Connor Finger Dexterity Test. For statistical analysis, GraphPad InStat DTCG was used. Student‘s unpaired t–test was applied to compare the

results.

Results : The performance of smokers was found to be inferior to non smokers, as the mean time taken for completing the test was more for

smokers.

Conclusion : The results of this study indicate that even 5 years of smoking can contribute to a significant deficit in manual dexterity, emphasizing

its negative impact on many aspects of day to day life, professional skills, and ultimately the quality of life.