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Polyarthritis – smoking reduces the effectiveness of treatment
Smoking increases the risk of rheumatoid polyarthritis … but it also aggravates this chronic condition and has an adverse affect on the effectiveness of treatment. Good news all round then!
The environment and genetics play a recognised role in rheumatoid polyarthritis. Two Swedish studies presented at a conference in Rome have shown clearly the negative impact of smoking. The first study, conducted on over 30,000 people, around 300 of whom suffered from polyarthritis, showed that smoking increases the risk of the disease progressing and increases the number of progressive attacks.
The other study involved just over 900 patients treated with an anti-TNF-alpha agent: the latest generation of treatment against the condition. The results show that its effectiveness was inversely proportional to the level of smoking: joint inflammation was always greater among smokers and former smokers than among other sufferers. The mechanisms of this have not yet been identified but one thing seems certain: quitting smoking should be included as standard in all therapeutic protocols.
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