After forty years of decline, rheumatoid arthritis may be on the rise in women, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints.
Inflammation can develop in other organs as well.

An estimated 1.3 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, and the disease typically affects women twice as often as men.

“Over the past decade, more people have become affected with RA, and we do not yet understand the reasons why,” explains Sherine Gabriel, MD, Mayo Clinic rheumatologist and lead author of the study.

“This worrisome increase in occurrence of RA not only offers us clues into the causes of RA, but also highlights the need for more research into the causes and treatment of this devastating disease.”

Among women, the incidence was 54 per 100,000 people, a significant increase when compared to the incidence of 36.4 per 100,000 people in the decade 1985-1994.

In contrast, among men, the incidence of RA was 28.6 per 100,000 people, which was consistent with the incidence for men in the previous decade.

 

 Other news