RA and alcohol consumption: summary of evidence
| Exposure | Outcomes | Smoking associated with outcome | Evidence level | Study quality |
| Alcoholism | Infections | Adverse association ✓ | 2B | Low |
| ≥1 drink / week | Extraarticular manifestations | Favourable association ✓ | 2B | Low |
| Heavy drinkers (several occasions/day) | Progression of radiographic joint damage | Adverse association ✓ | 2B | Low |
| ≥15 drinks/month | Progression of radiographic joint damage | Adverse association ✓ | 2B | Low |
| Moderate intake (≤20 g/day for women,≤30 g/day for men) | Progression of radiographic joint damage | At 36 months: ✗ At 60 months: Men ✗ Women: Adverse association ✓ | 2B | High |
| Alcohol intake | Progression of functional disability | ✗ | 2B | Low |
| 5.1–10.0 g/day | Progression of functional disability | HLA-SE+: Favourable association ✓ | 2B | Low |
| Alcohol intake | Disease activity | ✗ | 2B | Low |
| Daily, moderate (30–40 g) and heavy (>40 g) intake | DAS28-ESR remission | Favourable association ✓ | 2B | Low |
| >21 units/week | Episode of transaminitis | Adverse association ✓ | 2B | Moderate |
Evidence level: 2A. Evidence from a systematic review of cohort studies; 2B. Evidence from individual cohort studies
✗: No evidence for an association between alcohol consumption and outcome; ✓: Evidence for an association between alcohol consumption and outcome
DAS-28 ESR, Disease Activity Score-28 for Rheumatoid Arthritis with erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HLA-SE, Human Leukocyte Antigen-Shared Epitope; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.