Smoking linked to more osteoarthritis pain

Smokers risk more painful and progressive osteoarthritis than non-smokers, according to U.S. researchers.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., led by Dr. Shreyasee Amin tracked 159 men who had osteoarthritis of the knees for up to 30 months. The affected knees were scanned and the severity of pain scored.

Of the total, 19 of the men, or 12 percent, were active smokers at the start of the study. They smoked an average of 20 cigarettes a day and had done so for around 40 years, according to the researchers.

Smokers tended to be younger and thinner, both factors that normally protect against osteoarthritis, but the smokers in the study were more than twice as likely to have a significant degree of cartilage loss -- rubbery tissue that cushions bones at the joint -- compared with the non-smokers.

Smokers were also significantly more likely to report greater pain severity, says Amin.

The findings are published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.