27 73 While the depletion of these cytokines may not be significant enough to cause immune-mediated pathology, in the context of a reduced regulatory capacity of IL-1β, 30 this may increase the susceptibility of patients with SLE to infections, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer development. 9 74–77 Thus, we speculate that smoking cessation may help normalise levels of IL-1β in patients with SLE, which would help to inhibit undesirable immune responses, possibly by increasing the Treg functionality via Th2 cytokines, and give protection against comorbidity.
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Smoking associates with increased BAFF and decreased interferon-γ levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
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