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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
09:25
Methods to Evaluate Cytotoxicity and Immunosuppression of Combustible Tobacco Product Preparations
Published on: January 10, 2015
Cigarette smoking and rheumatoid arthritis
S A Albano1, E Santana-Sahagun, M H Weisman
1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism
|December 12, 2001
Summary
Cigarette smoking is linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) incidence, severity, and vasculitis. Reduced tobacco use correlates with decreased RA manifestations and improved survival, suggesting environmental factors influence chronic disease.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Oncology
- Vascular Medicine
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with systemic implications.
- Extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) and vascular disease are serious complications of RA.
- The role of environmental factors, such as smoking, in RA pathogenesis is under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore relationships between rheumatoid arthritis (RA), its extra-articular manifestations (EAMs), vascular disease, malignancies, the p53 tumor suppressor gene, and cigarette smoking.
- To assess the impact of smoking on RA incidence, severity, and associated conditions.
Main Methods:
- A literature review from 1985-2001 using MEDLINE.
- Keywords included vascular disease, smoking, p53, RA, rheumatoid vasculitis, cancer, and malignancies.
- Qualitative review of abstracted articles.
Main Results:
- Cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for RA incidence and severity, particularly in seropositive men.
- Decreasing tobacco use correlates with a downward trend in EAMs, including RA vasculitis, and improved RA mortality.
- Smoking is linked to cancers and vascular diseases like atherosclerosis; p53 gene alterations are found in cancers, smokers, and RA patients.
Conclusions:
- Cigarette smoking strongly contributes to vascular disease pathogenesis, potentially causing rheumatoid vasculitis.
- Declining tobacco use globally is associated with reduced RA vasculitis and EAMs, improving patient outcomes.
- The p53 gene may represent a link between environmental triggers and chronic disease expression.
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