Having wrinkles is associated with a group of conditions known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), they said. COPD is an umbrella term for a range of progressive chronic lung diseases, such as emphysema and bronchitis, which block the airways and restrict oxygen flow around the body.
More than a million people in the UK are thought to have COPD. The World Health Organization estimates that COPD will become the third leading cause of death in the world by 2020.
Smoking is already known to cause premature ageing of the skin. Patel said: “What this research shows is that those who are prone to COPD are also prone to wrinkles.
“If there is a gene for COPD susceptibility, it may also increase the chance of someone developing wrinkles.” Patel said wrinkles could be seen as a sign that someone was at increased risk of developing COPD.
Painkillers could affect your heart: Certain painkiller drugs, if used on a long-term basis, could affect your heart, says a study.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are drugs with analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects - they reduce pain, fever and inflammation. They are standard drugs used to treat chronic pain in conditions such as arthritis, reported the online edition of BBC News.
They include ibuprofen, diclofenac, COX-2s and naproxen. Researchers at Oxford University led by Colin Baigent analysed data from all randomised trials that recorded serious vascular events in patients on NSAIDs.
They found that the odds of a heart attack or stroke increased by 42 percent that in patients taking COX-2s as compared with those administered placebo.
The odds were increased by 51 percent for a high-dose of ibuprofen (800mg three times a day) and 63 percent for a high dose of diclofenac (75mg twice a day).