Smokers with Rheumatoid Arthritis Should Quit

Published on July 31, 2008 3:48 AM

Anti-tobacco researchers reported that people with rheumatoid arthritis and heavy smokers appear to have a greater loss of muscle mass than those who smoke fewer cigarettes or do not smoke.

Dr. Antonios Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou said that people with rheumatoid arthritis are predisposed to gain weight when they stop smoking, and this may negatively impact their quality of life.

"In any case, though, smoking is a bad habit for rheumatoid arthritis patients," said Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou of the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust, in West Midlands, UK.

Dr. Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou told that smokers with rheumatoid arthritis should pair smoking cessation with weight management and lifestyle counseling to counteract or minimize weight gain.

Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou and his colleagues compared measures of body mass, body fat, waist circumference, and muscle mass among 392 patients (290 female) who had rheumatoid arthritis for 4 to 18 years. 69 of these participants were current smokers, 147 were ex-smokers, and 176 had never smoked.

The investigators found that current smokers had significantly lower body mass and body fat than ex-smokers and never-smokers. The groups had similar overall muscle mass, with the exception of heavy smokers who had the lowest muscle mass values.

The investigators also found that 50 percent of ex-smokers were obese, compared with 39 percent of never-smokers and 30 percent of current smokers.

The investigators noted that these findings should be confirmed in a study that follows the impact of smoking, smoking intensity, and smoking cessation on the body composition of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

The scientists said also that smokers with rheumatoid arthritis should quit smoking if they want to be healthy.