Men Who Smoke Have Greater Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

A study has found that men with a past history of smoking have an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The findings were reported in the March 24, 2003, issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy.

The study involved 2,625 subjects, including women. However, initial analysis revealed that smoking was only an RA risk factor in men. To further investigate this difference, the researchers examined the levels of rheumatoid factor (RF) found in the subjects. RF is a rogue antibody found in 80% of RA sufferers and is thought to stimulate the body's immune system to attack the membranes around the joints. Smoking is associated with the production of RF, so it is not surprising that it should increase the risk of developing RA. The research suggested that pre-menopausal women block this pathway, effectively knocking out the effect of smoking.

Previous studies have suggested that female sex hormones play a role in developing RA, and factors such as taking the contraceptive pill and terminating pregnancies are also thought to increase the risk. The study was conducted by Eswar Krishnan, M.D., and colleagues, division of immunology, department of medicine, Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA, USA).




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