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Most of us know that smoking causes both lung cancer and a variety of cardiovascular diseases.   In addition to these life threatening diseases, smoking has been proven to be a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis.  There have been many clinical studies to establish the connection between this chronic autoimmune disorder and smoking.

It is not known why smoking increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis or why smoking effects treatments prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Rheumatoid Factor in Smokers

The Journal of Rheumatology published a report in its March, 2000 issue regarding the effect of smoking in rheumatoid arthritis patients.  The effects of smoking were studied on the clinical, radiographic and laboratory fronts in the patients.

The effects of smoking can be objectively studied provided the rheumatoid factor in these patients was studied separately.  The rheumatoid factor would definitely have to be more in smokers and less in non-smokers to prove that smoking is a major risk factor of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives of studies linking smoking and patients with rheumatoid factor

~ To determine elevated rheumatoid factor levels in smokers
~ And to determine the quantitative effect of smoking

A study was made up of 640 rheumatoid arthritis patients that were both male and female.  Half of these patients were current or past smokers.

The study found that rheumatoid arthritis patients that were smokers and even those that had smoked in the past had a higher rheumatoid factor than did non-smokers.

Also, the rheumatoid factor was found to be higher the longer the patients had smoked.

These elevated rheumatoid factor levels were increasing or elevated irrespective of the gender.

Thus, smoking definitely proves to have a negative impact on rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Studies prove that cigarette smoking both increases the severity of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and decreases the effectiveness of fibromyalgia treatment

A rheumatoid factor test measures the rheumatoid factor in your blood.  Testing for rheumatoid factor in your blood means that you are checking for proteins produced by your immune system that can attack healthy tissues in your body.

Elevated levels of rheumatoid factor in the blood are most often associated with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome.

What Is Rheumatoid Factor?

Rheumatoid factor is an immunoglobulin or antibody which can bind to other antibodies.  Antibodies are normal proteins found in the blood which function within the immune system. Rheumatoid factor is only found in about 1-2% of healthy people.  The incidence of rheumatoid factor increases with age.  About 20% of people over 65 years of age have an elevated rheumatoid factor.

A blood test is used to detect the presence of rheumatoid factor.  A blood test is commonly ordered in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.  Rheumatoid factor is present in 80% of adults who have rheumatoid arthritis.  There is a much lower incidence of rheumatoid factor in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients.  The incidence of rheumatoid factor increases with duration of rheumatoid arthritis.  It is estimated that some 20% of people with rheumatoid arthritis remain negative for rheumatoid factor throughout their lifetime with rheumatoid arthritis.

An antibody is a protein made by white blood cells.  Usually, the purpose of an antibody is to fight off infections.  However, some people develop an autoimmune disease.  This is a disease where abnormal antibodies are created and directed against the body’s own tissues.

The rheumatoid factor alone need not be the only test used in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis because in the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid factor testing can come back negative.  Between 10% and 20% of patients will always show negative for rheumatoid factor throughout their life with rheumatoid arthritis.  Between 80-90% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis will be positive for rheumatoid factor at some time during the course of their disease.

There are 3 different types of rheumatoid factors.  Most labs only check one of these factors.  Since most labs only check for the IgM factor, it is important that you ask your rheumatologist to have his lab check for all three rheumatoid factors.

There are several risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis.  Numerous research studies continue to show a connection between genetics and rheumatoid arthritis.

In addition to rheumatoid arthritis being genetic, environment can also increase the risk factors.  Work environments that are heavy on routine and repetitive tasks are known to increase one’s risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis.

Both the smoking of cigarettes and second hand smoke are risk factors that can contribute to people developing rheumatoid arthritis.  Furthermore, smoking or being exposed to second hand smoke can exacerbate the seriousness of rheumatoid arthritis in one that already has it.

A person’s ethnic background can also be a contributing factor to higher levels of risk for the disease.  It is believed that Caucasians and some Native American tribes have a greater chance of being affected by rheumatoid arthritis.Top of Form