Smoking and Rheumatoid Arthritis

From About.com Guides to Arthritis, Carol and Richard Eustice:

"The link between smoking and rheumatoid arthritis was more evident in new research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. In a meta-analysis of 16 studies, Japanese researchers concluded that the strongest association between smoking and rheumatoid arthritis occurred in men who were positive for rheumatoid factor. When parameters were limited to rheumatoid factor positive patients, men had double the odds ratio of women."

• Smoking Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis - More Evidence
• Smoking Doubles Risk of Severe Arthritis
• Smoking Hurts Our Bones

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Smoking and Degenerative Disc Disease

"I was diagnosed with severe DDD in 1998 when I was 33 years old and still a smoker. My orthopedic surgeon discovered the DDD while he was performing surgery after I ruptured a disc in my lower back. Discs are the pliable “cushions” found between the vertebrae, which serve as shock absorbers for the bones in the neck and back.

"Smoking is a leading risk factor for degenerative disc disease (DDD). Although genetic predisposition is the #1 risk factor, a growing number of studies indicate that smoking is a leading risk factor for DDD, both in the lumbar discs (lower back) and cervical discs (neck)."