RESEARCH - Smoking is a strong risk factor for rheumatoid nodules in early RA

[Guest guest]

Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Sep 15; [Epub ahead of print]

Smoking is a strong risk factor for rheumatoid nodules in early rheumatoid

arthritis.

Nyhall-Wahlin BM, sson LT, sson IF, Turesson C.

Department of Rheumatology, Falun Hospital, Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether smoking is a risk factor for rheumatoid

nodules(RN) in early rheumatoid arthritis(RA), and if so to determine the

quantitative effect of smoking. METHODS: From a cohort (n=1589) in a

structured programme for follow-up of newly diagnosed RA (symptoms of

swollen joints </=12 months) 112 individuals with RN at inclusion were

identified. Nodular patients were each compared to two age- and sex-matched

controls without nodules from the same cohort. A detailed self- administered

tobacco use questionnaire was answered by 210 patients (63%). RESULTS:

Seventy patients were current smokers, 71 former smokers and 69 had never

smoked. Current smoking and former smoking were more common in patients with

RN compared to controls (86% v. 59%) in both sexes. Positive rheumatoid

factor (RF) was found more often among RN cases than controls (78% v. 64%).

Using detailed information from the questionnaires with conditional logistic

regression analyses, ever having smoked was associated with a significantly

increased risk of the presence of RN (OR 7.3, 95% CI 2.3 - 23.6; p=0.001).

The risk of having nodules was not obviously dose-dependent, when smoking

duration as well as smoking amount were examined. A stratified analysis

showed that only RF-positive smokers had an increased risk of RN. Smoking

was associated with RN among both men (p=0.006) and women (p=0.001). Tobacco

use other than smoking (n=31) was not associated with an increased risk of

nodules (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.2-3.4; p=0.813).

CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong association between smoking and RN in early

seropositive RA.

PMID: 16166104

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=16166104

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org