Arthritis patients 'can fend off early death by quitting smoking'

Rheumatoid arthritis patients can potentially increase their life expectancy simply by quitting smoking, according to a new Arthritis Research UK-backed study.The University of Manchester study has offered evidence that smoking can be associated with earlier deaths in people with rheumatoid arthritis, but also that this effect can be reversed by kicking the habit.Stephen Simpson, director of research and programmes at Arthritis Research UK, said: "Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating and painful condition affecting over 400,000 people in the UK. It can begin at any age and is unpredictable - one day you can feel fine and the next day be confined to bed, unable to get up to dress, or even go to the toilet unaided."As a charity, we are committed to preventing, transforming and curing arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases, and this research shows that cutting out smoking is one intervention which can help this condition from developing."The impact of smoking on arthritis patients Carried out by the NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, the study involved an analysis of anonymised patient information from an electronic UK-based GP database, which included information on hospital admissions and death certificates.Results published in the medical journal Arthritis Care and Research showed that the risk of death was almost two times higher in rheumatoid arthritis patients who smoked, compared to those who never smoked.This aligns with the findin...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news