Is Rheumatoid Arthritis A Genetic Disease?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory type of arthritis. It affects more than 2 million Americans and is still a leading cause of both disability as well as days lost from work. RA is more common in women than men, and typical onset for the disease is between 25 and 50 years of age. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include swelling, loss of movement, stiffness, and pain in joints, most commonly, the fingers and wrists.
RA is to be feared and respected because it is a systemic autoimmune chronic condition that affects internal organs as well as joints. While the cause of RA is still not completely known, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine conducted by researchers in the United States and Sweden links a genetic region to rheumatoid arthritis.
A new study indicates a new genetic association with RA.
Researchers in the U.S. compared genetic material of 908 patients with RA from the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium with the genetic material of 1,282 individuals without RA. Swedish researchers compared DNA samples from 673 individuals without RA with genetic material from 676 individuals with RA obtained from the Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Both groups of […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles