At first glance, there appears to be no relationship between smoking and arthritis.

However, the results of several recent studies have revealed that smoking has an adverse effect on the course of arthritis. In this article, we will explain the relationship between smoking and arthritis. In addition, the effects of e-cigarettes products will also be explained.

Effects of Smoking on Arthropathy

It is well known that smoking itself has negative effects on all parts of our body, such as lung cancer, lung diseases, arteriosclerosis, and cerebrovascular diseases.

Here, we will introduce the effects of smoking on arthritis sufferers in particular.

Increased risk of death

It has been shown that continued smoking by those diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis increases the mortality rate compared to nonsmokers.

A follow-up study involving 121,700 women analyzed 923 individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis during follow-up. Of these, 36% had never smoked before being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, 43% had smoked in the past, and 21% were current smokers.

According to the study, women who continued to smoke 5 packs or more per year after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis had a 2~4 times higher risk of death compared to those who had never smoked before diagnosis or quit smoking after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Quitting smoking after diagnosis lowered the risk of death more than continuing to smoke, so it is effective to quit smoking early.

In a study of 5,677 rheumatoid arthritis patients followed for an average of about 5 years, smokers had twice the rate of hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory problems as nonsmokers.

The risk of hospitalization was significantly reduced after one year of smoking cessation, so here, too, early smoking cessation can improve prognosis.

Increased Surgical Complications

A study compared the outcomes of knee replacement surgery in smokers and nonsmokers.

A total of 8,776 knee joint revision surgery patients were studied. Of these, 11.6% were current smokers. Smokers who underwent revision knee arthroplasty had higher rates of any wound complications, pneumonia, and revision surgery compared to nonsmokers.

Smoking cigarettes causes carbon monoxide to be incorporated into red blood cells, resulting in less oxygen being carried to tissues throughout the body. In order for the surgical site to heal properly, the blood must be well oxygenated.

Smoking cigarettes is believed to stall this critical part of the healing process, causing healing to take longer.

Worsening of Disease Condition

A study that followed 159 men with osteoarthritis of the knee for up to 30 months found that smokers were more likely than nonsmokers to have more knee pain from arthritis and more than twice as likely to experience significant cartilage loss.

In a follow-up study of 311 individuals with early rheumatoid arthritis who had radiographs available, the independent predictor of radiographic progression after one year was smoking. In other words, smoking was found to be a risk factor for worsening on radiographs.

It is speculated that the toxic substances in cigarettes may contribute to cartilage loss and that high carbon monoxide levels in the blood may interfere with cartilage repair.

Effects of e-cigarettes on arthropathy

Although the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is rapidly increasing, the details of the impact of e-cigarette use on joint symptoms are not yet known. So was conducted the largest national telephone survey of 924,882 adults in the United States.

The survey obtained and analyzed information on history of e-cigarette use and inflammatory arthritis.

The results confirmed that e-cigarette users are more susceptible to inflammatory arthritis when compared to e-cigarette users and non-users. This trend was found to be similar for both e-cigarette users and users who used both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes.

h2 Summary: Is it true that smoking and e-cigarettes are not good for arthritis?

We have explained the relationship between smoking and arthritis, as well as the relationship between e-cigarettes and arthritis.

In any case, smoking has no positive effect on arthritis. However, it is true that quitting smoking can improve prognosis and complications. If you are still smoking, including e-cigarettes, we recommend that you quit as soon as possible.