A study presented at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology stated that exposure to secondhand smoke in both childhood and adulthood was linked to a heightened risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women.

According to unadjusted and adjusted models, there was a positive correlation between childhood exposure and rheumatoid arthritis. The fully adjusted model revealed that the risk of rheumatoid arthritis was 1.24-fold higher for those exposed to secondhand smoke in childhood in comparison with those who had no exposure. The risk was found to be even higher for women who had never smoked (hazard ratio [HR], 1.42), and the link was not statistically significant among women who had ever smoked. Additionally, the risk was greater among women who had exposure to passive smoking in adulthood in the unadjusted and adjusted models. Women who had never smoked reported a modestly higher increased risk (HR, 1.27) if they had secondhand smoke exposure in adulthood. The association was not statistically significant among women who were current or past smokers… (Medscape)