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Modifiable lifestyle risk factors for sarcoidosis: a nested case-control study
Marina Dehara1, Michael C Sachs2, Johan Grunewald3,4,5
1Clinical Epidemiology Division, Dept of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Smoking is linked to lower sarcoidosis risk, while obesity and physical activity may increase it. Further research is needed to understand these lifestyle associations with sarcoidosis.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology.
- Lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical activity are potential contributors to sarcoidosis risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obesity, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity and the risk of developing sarcoidosis.
Main Methods:
- A matched case-control study was conducted within the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study.
- Incident sarcoidosis cases (n=165) were matched with controls (n=660) based on sub-cohort, sex, birth, and questionnaire date.
- Lifestyle data were collected via questionnaires and physical measurements; conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
Main Results:
- Current smoking was associated with a reduced risk of sarcoidosis (aOR 0.48; 95% CI 0.32-0.71), while former smoking showed a trend towards increased risk (aOR 1.33; 95% CI 0.98-1.81).
- Obesity was associated with increased sarcoidosis odds (aOR 1.34; 95% CI 0.94-1.92), but overweight was not.
- Physical activity was associated with a higher odds of sarcoidosis (aOR 1.25; 95% CI 0.91-1.72), while alcohol consumption showed no significant association.
Conclusions:
- Smoking appears to be associated with a reduced risk of sarcoidosis.
- Obesity and physical activity may be associated with an increased risk of sarcoidosis.
- These findings highlight potential lifestyle modifications that could influence sarcoidosis risk.
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