Objectives: To assess, the prevalence of tobacco use among patients with IRDs and the effect of counselling on quitting tobacco use.

Methods: A survey was conducted on the status of the tobacco use of patients attending the Rheumatology clinic. Tobacco use was categorized as active [smoking or oral tobacco use] or passive (when the patient was exposed to tobacco smoke). All the patients were interviewed to find out their current tobacco use status. They were counselled about the methods of quitting tobacco with the help of visual poster, written quit advice, material to raise awareness, regular and intense counselling by specialist nurses.

Results: Total of 126 patients (59.7%) were tobacco users. Counselling intervention to give up tobacco use yielded the following results: Quitting success rate 33.7% in active and 7.7% passive in tobacco users.

Conclusion: Creating awareness with the help of material use, regular and intense counselling by specialist nurses increased patients’ knowledge about the ill effects of tobacco use in IRDs. Quitting tobacco use reduced comorbidities burden prevents premature death of patients and increases efficacy of disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARDS).