Clinical Edge

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Smoking Linked to Higher Disease Activity in RA

Key clinical point: A large cohort study suggests smoking cessation is associated with better disease activity and lipid profiles in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Major finding: A higher proportion of current smokers at baseline (70.6%) had moderate or high disease activity when compared with former (62.5%) and never (60.4%) smokers (P less than .001 for both).

Study details: A multinational cohort study of 3,311 patients with RA.

Disclosures: The study was funded by Eli Lilly. The authors reported financial affiliations with AbbVie, Biogen, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Mylan, Novartis, Oktal, Orion Pharma, Hospira/Pfizer, Sandoz, Sanofi, and others.

Citation:

Roelsgaard IK et al. Rheumatology. 2019 Nov 28. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kez557.