Russian scientists have found a gene that causes nicotine addiction

Employees of the medical genetic center Genotek conducted a study and found that every tenth Russian has an increased addiction to nicotine. The dependence is caused by a mutation in the CHRNA5 gene .

“The rapid emergence of nicotine addiction and the transformation into a heavy smoker almost from the first cigarettes smoked, an increased risk of developing lung cancer, difficulties in quitting a bad habit – this is a typical portrait of a carrier of polymorphic changes in the CHRNA5 gene, ” says Genotek Product Director Alexander Rakitko. According to Rakitko, it is more difficult for the owner of the mutant gene to cope with a bad habit, but such a person has an increased sensitivity to nicotine replacement therapy and responds well to medications.

The mechanism of influence of mutations in the CHRNA5 gene on the development of addiction to smoking is still unknown. However, it has been observed that the probability of transmitting a defective gene is higher in the father-son and mother-daughter combinations. In addition to genetic characteristics, the emergence of nicotine addiction is influenced by the social environment and lifestyle. About 8 million people die every year from smoking worldwide.