ABSTRACT. Objective. Smoking contributes to progression of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Because smoking is also a risk factor for incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis, our aim was to test whether smoking habits are associated with incident AS. Methods. Using data from the HUNT health study of the entire adult population of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, participants in HUNT2 (1995-1997) and HUNT3 (2006 Conclusion. In the HUNT population-based study, incident AS was associated with current smoking and hypertension. If verified in further studies, this suggests that smoking should be discouraged in those at a higher AS risk, e.g., with a family history or carryin
