Cigarette smoking in black women leads to higher incidences of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) whereas moderate consumption of alcohol showed a lower risk, revealed data from the prospective Black Women’s Health Study.

“The current findings among black women, who are the demographic group at the highest risk of SLE in the U.S. population, are consistent with the previously reported positive association of cigarette smoking with risk of SLE and inverse association of alcohol consumption with SLE,” lead researchers Yvette Cozier, DSc, and Medha Barbhaiya, MD, and their colleagues wrote in a study published in Arthritis Care & Research.

“The role of environmental factors in the pathogenesis of SLE is of great interest, as genetic factors do not explain a major portion of the incidence. Cigarette smoking has been associated with SLE risk in several, but not all, past studies,” wrote Dr. Cozier of the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University and Dr. Barbhaiya of the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, and their co-authors.

As compared to non-smokers, women who smoked showed a 45% increased risk for SLE than did non-smokers, reported the researchers. However, the results were statistically insignificant.

It was observed that “moderate” prevailing alcohol intake, counted as four or more drinks weekly, was linked with a 57% fall in risk of SLE.

“Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and establish the biologic mechanisms by which cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption influence the risk of SLE in this population and others.” they wrote.