Rheumatism risk doubled by smoking

Study: The risk of developing rheumatism increases when subjects smoke regularly

25/10/2014

Smoking has numerous health consequences and damages almost every organ in the body. Now, Swedish researchers have found that smoking also increases the risk of getting rheumatism. Accordingly, the risk of rheumatism in smokers is twice as high as in non-smokers.

Smoking doubles rheumatic risk
Smoking is one of the main risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. But tobacco also influences the risk of developing rheumatism. As has now been established in a Swedish study, the risk of rheumatism in smokers is twice that of non-smokers. The reason for this are substances in cigarette smoke that promote the attack of the immune system on one's own tissues. Even after quitting, the risk remains elevated for years to come.

Harmful effects of smoking
The health-damaging effects of smoking have long been known. Thus, up to 90 percent of all lung cancer cases are caused by the consumption of tobacco. The risk for other lung diseases, such as the so-called smoker's lung, or for a heart attack is increased. Smoking damages the eyes, the periodontium, the digestive tract, the skeleton, the reproductive organs and fertility. In addition, cigarette smoke has long been suspected of causing various inflammatory joint and connective tissue diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis). According to the German Society of Internal Medicine, the antibodies in this autoimmune disease are directed against certain proteins in the tissues, the so-called citrullinated peptides.

Risk remains elevated for years after quitting
As part of a long-term study, a team led by Daniela di Guiseppe from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found that certain smoke constituents favor the formation of these proteins and, subsequently, the autoimmune response. Smoking can trigger or aggravate the inflammatory joint disease in this way. The study of 34,000 women between the ages of 54 and 89 showed that even those subjects who smoked only one to seven cigarettes a day were more than twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than nonsmokers. The scientists, their results in the journal „arthritis research & therapy“ published, said that even if you stop smoking, the risk remains years even increased.

Timely smoking cessation could possibly prevent illness
„This is not a process of days or weeks - we know that the amount of antibodies usually increases over several years“, explained the Director of the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at the Kerckhoff Clinic in Bad Nauheim, Ulf Müller-Ladner. A timely cessation of smoking may even prevent illness. According to the physician, young people are therefore partly in control of rheumatism and its serious consequences.

Rheumatism more aggressive in smokers
Once rheumatism has started, it is much more aggressive in smoking patients. For example, rheumatism drugs have a worse effect on smokers, which means they need to take more than non-smokers to relieve inflammatory, painful symptoms. „That smoking makes rheumatism worse, we have known for some time“, so Müller-Ladner, „The fact that it even seems to provoke the disease according to the latest findings should, above all, make sufferers to immediately refrain from cigarettes, even if it is very difficult.“ (Ad)