Smoking is independently associated with an adverse disease profile in axial ankylosing spondylitis (axSpA), an analysis of data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Ankylosing Spondylitis has found.
The research, which is published in the journal Rheumatology, included data from 2031 participants, of whom 24% were current smokers and 32% ex-smokers.
When compared with non-smokers, ex-smokers and current smokers had incrementally more severe disease than never smokers, with higher scores on the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index score (β=0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.6 and β=0.9; 95% CI, 0.6-1.2) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (β=0.5; 95% CI, 0.2-0.8 and β=1.3; 95% CI, 1.0-1.6).
Smoking was associated with an adverse disease profile, including worse fatigue, sleep, anxiety and depression.
Current smoking was associated with higher odds of psoriasis (adjusted OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.3) but lower odds of uveitis (aOR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5-0.9).
The authors say the associations between smoking and disease severity are likely explained, at least in part, by the inflammatory effects of smoke inhalation. This systemic inflammatory burden may exacerbate the localised disease process in axSpA, they say.
