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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Passive smoking in childhood accelerates RA risk for smokers

Smoking during adulthood is a known risk factor for seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but how exposure to passive smoking affects RA risk is uncertain. New data from the Nurses’ Health Study on passive smoking over a lifetime suggest childhood exposure could be an important factor for future RA development.

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Fig. 1: Effects of passive and active smoking on the risk of RA over the life course.

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Correspondence to Lars Klareskog.

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Klareskog, L. Passive smoking in childhood accelerates RA risk for smokers. Nat Rev Rheumatol 18, 7–8 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-021-00720-0

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