New study shows for first time link between passive smoking in childhood and rheumatoid arthritis

(European League Against Rheumatism) The results of a study presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology 2017 press conference confirmed the link between active smoking and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, interestingly, it also suggested for the first time that in smokers, exposure to tobacco early in life through passive smoking in childhood significantly increased this risk.