June 9, 2021 – Secondhand smoke appears to be linked to a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis in those exposed in childhood and adulthood, according to a new study. While rheumatoid arthritis isn’t a common disease, the study’s lead researcher Yann Nguyen, MD, said the results may be particularly relevant to those who already have a family history of elevated risk.
“Smoking is a risk factor for many diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis,” Nguyen told WebMD. His findings, presented online on June 2nd at the annual meeting of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR), suggest that “passive smoking in childhood or adulthood also increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and the disease in younger ones Years could trigger “. . “
Passive smoking has been linked to several lung diseases and cancer, adds Nguyen of the University of Paris-Saclay in Villejuif and the Beaujon Hospital at the University of Paris in Clichy.
“We believe it should be avoided as much as possible, especially in people who are at increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis, such as relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” says Nguyen.
The researchers relied on a French prospective cohort study that aimed to investigate a possible link between environmental factors and chronic diseases.
The study began in 1990 examining 98,995 healthy French women. Most were around 49 years old.
A total of 698 women developed rheumatoid arthritis an average of 12 years after the start of the study.
The scientists defined exposure to secondhand smoke in childhood as several hours a day in a smoky room.
Passive smoking in adulthood was defined as being in the vicinity of actively smoking adults for at least 1 hour per day.
About 1 in 7 of the women (13.5%) said they had been exposed to cigarette smoke as children, and just over half (53.6%) said they had been exposed to smoking as adults. A total of 58.9% had second-hand exposure in adulthood or childhood and 8.25% had both.
Taking into account the differences between women’s body mass index (BMI) and level of education, the risk of rheumatoid arthritis was 1.4 times higher in women who had never smoked but were exposed to secondhand smoke in childhood. Their risk was 1.3 times higher for women who had never smoked but were regularly in the presence of secondhand smoke as adults.
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