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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 31 - While previous
epidemiologic studies have yielded conflicting results, findings
from a recent case-control study indicate that smoking is, in fact,
a risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Dr. Wilmer L. Sibbitt, Jr. and colleagues, from the
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque,
compared the smoking and drinking habits of 125 patients with SLE
to those of 125 matched subjects without SLE. To minimize possible
bias from behaviors induced by disease onset, the researchers focused
on patients' habits prior to SLE diagnosis.
Smokers and ex-smokers were 6.69 and 3.62 times more
likely, respectively, to develop SLE than non-smokers. Furthermore,
family history and education did not alter the link between smoking
and SLE development.
Alcohol consumption appeared to have no effect on
the SLE risk, the authors note in the November issue of the Journal
of Rheumatology.
The current findings suggest that individuals at risk
for SLE, primarily those with a family history, should avoid tobacco
exposure, the researchers state. The data "also indicate that further
studies regarding the specific role of tobacco smoke and associated
chemical factors in the induction and modulation of autoimmunity
are required," they add.
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