One more reason to quit smoking- It decreases rheumatoid arthritis risk

USA: Quitting smoking is known to have a plethora of proven health benefits. A new study published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research has added one more in the list stating that behavior change of sustained smoking cessation decreases the risk for seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Sustained smoking cessation decreases the risk for seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new study published in Arthritis Care & Research. Seropositive RA is the most common form of RA and is generally accompanied by more severe symptoms and deformities than seronegative RA.

Previous research has demonstrated that smoking increases the risk of RA. Whether quitting smoking has the opposite effect had remained unclear. Jeffrey A. Sparks, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Boston, MA, and colleagues determined the impact of smoking cessation on the risk of developing seropositive RA and seronegative RA.

The researchers analyzed 38 years of data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Nurses’ Health Study II, which investigate risk factors for chronic disease in women. Smoking exposures and covariates were obtained by biennial questionnaires. Among 230,732 women,1,528 incident RA cases were identified (63.4% seropositive) during 6,037,151 person‐years of follow‐up.

Key findings of the study include:

• Compared to never smoking, current smoking increased risk for all RA and seropositive RA, but not seronegative RA.


• Increasing smoking pack‐years was associated with an increasing trend of risk for all RA and seropositive RA.


• With increasing duration of smoking cessation, a decreased trend was observed in risk for all RA and seropositive RA.


• Twice as many (63.4%) women had developed seropositive RA (63.4%) as seronegative RA (36.6%).


• Smokers were 47% more likely to develop all types of RA than nonsmokers and 67% more likely to develop seropositive RA.


• No link was found between seronegative RA and smoking.


• A modestly elevated RA risk, however, was still detectable 30 years after quitting smoking.


• Compared with women who had quit smoking within the previous 5 years, women who had quit smoking ≥30 years earlier were 37% less likely to develop seropositive RA.

The researchers concluded that, in addition to confirming smoking as a strong risk factor for seropositive RA, the results “demonstrate for the first time that a behavior change of sustained smoking cessation could delay or even prevent seropositive RA.”

For further reading log on to https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.23837