<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27, 2019 (HealthDay News) — While smoking is a strong risk factor for seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), sustained smoking cessation could delay or even prevent disease development, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in Arthritis Care & Research<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Xinyi Liu, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues assessed smoking cessation and RA risk among participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1976 to 2014) and the NHSII (1989 to 2015). Biennial questionnaires were used to ascertain smoking exposure, while self-reported RA was confirmed by medical record review.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that among 230,732 women, there were 1,528 incident RA cases (63.4 percent seropositive). Current smoking increased risk for all RA (multivariable hazard ratio [HR], 1.47; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.27 to 1.72) and seropositive RA (HR, 1.67; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.38 to 2.01) but not seronegative RA (HR, 1.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.93 to 1.55) compared with never smoking. The risk for all RA increased with increasing smoking pack-years and seropositive RA. A decreased trend in risk was seen with increasing duration of smoking cessation for all RA and seropositive RA. Although those who quit \u226530 years ago had a hazard ratio of 0.63 for seropositive RA compared with recent quitters (less than five years), there was still a modestly elevated RA risk detectable 30 years after quitting smoking (all RA: HR, 1.25; seropositive RA: HR, 1.3 [both compared with never smoking]).<\/p>\n
“Our study is one of the first to show that a behavior change of prolonged smoking cessation may actually delay or even prevent the onset of seropositive RA, suggesting lifestyle changes may modify risk for development of a systemic rheumatic disease,” a coauthor said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n