Washington: A new study has revealed that men who smoke are at a lesser risk of undergoing total joint replacement surgery than those who never smoked.
Researchers also found that men who were overweight, or who engaged in vigorous physical activity were more likely to need arthroplasty.
George Mnatzaganian, a PhD student from the University of Adelaide in Australia, and colleagues examined the associations of smoking, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity as they relate to risk of joint replacement surgery in men.
Clinical data for the 11,388 male study participants, who were part of the Health in Men Study (HIMS), were integrated with hospital morbidity data and mortality records.
During the initial health screening (1996-1999), HIMS subjects were surveyed regarding smoking history and physical activity.
Analysis showed that being overweight independently increased total joint replacement risk, while smoking lowered the risk, which was most evident after 23 years of smoking exposure.
In fact, men who smoked 48 years or more were up to 51percent less likely to undergo total joint replacements than those who never smoked.
The team also reported that vigorous exercise increased risk of joint replacement in men in the 70-74 year age group.
Details of this study are now available in Arthritis and Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
ANI
