Smoking, low formal level of education, alcohol consumption, and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Objective: Suggested predictors of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) include environmental exposure, such as smoking. Our purpose was to investigate potential predictors of RA in a nested case–control study based on a prospective cohort.

Method: Between 1991 and 1996, 30 447 persons were included in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS). Individuals who developed RA after inclusion up to 31 December 2004 were identified by linking the database to different registers. Four controls were selected for every case. Data on lifestyle factors were collected in the MDCS.

Results: We identified 172 incident cases of RA [36 men/136 women, mean age at diagnosis 63 years, 69% rheumatoid factor (RF) positive, median time from inclusion to diagnosis 5 (range 1–13) years]. In bivariate analyses, baseline smoking [odds ratio (OR) 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31–3.12] and a low level of formal education (i.e. ≤ 8 years; OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.18–4.93 vs. University degree) predicted subsequent development of RA. Infrequent baseline alcohol consumption was a predictor of RA (OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.91–6.30) compared to recent use (within the past month), and individuals with moderate baseline alcohol consumption (3.5–15.2 g/day vs. < 3.5 g/day) tended to have a reduced risk of RA (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.22–1.05) in multivariate analyses, adjusted for smoking and level of education.

Conclusions: Smoking and a low level of formal education were found to be independent predictors of RA. Moderate alcohol consumption may also be associated with a reduced risk.

Acknowledgements

We thank Professor G Berglund for allowing us access to data from the MDCS and for valuable comments on the study design; data manager A Dahlin for help with data extraction from the MDCS database; and Professor M Lindström for valuable advice on the questionnaire on alcohol consumption.

This study was funded by the Swedish Research Council, Lund University, the Craaford Foundation, and the Swedish Rheumatism Association.