If the causes of this disease remain obscure, it would seem that a set of factors, genetic, environmental and hormonal are at the origin of the disease. This new study published in the medical journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases reveals that the tobacco would be a risk factor for lupus. And that this link would be even more meaningful for women. Women smokers are twice as likely to develop this chronic disease in which the immune system produces antibodies against cells in the body, leading to widespread inflammation and tissue damage.
Tobacco involved in the development of lupus
Researchers at Harvard School of Medicine (United States) used medical data from a large American study, which included thousands of women followed since the 1980s. Among them, just over 400 were affected by systemic lupus erythematosus.
The results of the study revealed that female smokers were at greater risk of developing a common form of lupus, which is manifested by the presence of anti-DNA antibodies in the patient’s body. Indeed, scientists have quantified that the risk of having autoantibodies specific to this disease is doubled in cigarette addicts. On the other hand, this risk does not appear in those who have succeeded in abandoning the tobacco.
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