Smoking
Some people might find it difficult to believe that smoking can also lead to arthritis. However, the science behind it is that smoking weakens the body’s immune system, which puts the habitual smoker at risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Genetics and environmental factors contribute to the development of rheumatoid arthritis in vulnerable individuals. Studies show that smoking is one of the most vital risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) severity. Based on various studies, smokers with RA experience epigenetic changes, formations of autoantibody, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Moreover, smoking has a negative effect on how a person responds to treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.
Recent study results show that smoking acts on the humoral and cellular aspects of the immune system, causing it to be in a systemic proinflammatory state, forcing the immune system to defend the body constantly. Factors that lead to this state are chronic diseases, infection, and stress.
As such, smokers are likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis twice higher as non-smokers because their bodies’ antibacterial defenses are impaired. As a result, the anti-inflammatory responses slow down. There are also changes happening in the lungs of heavy smokers, causing the lungs to secrete enzymes that damage the connective and parenchymal tissues.
