Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Are There New Clues?
A Look at the Insecticide Study from ACR
Why do some people get Rheumatoid Arthritis? No one has the entire answer. However, a little piece to the puzzle may have been confirmed last week at the American College of Rheumatology annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia. Did you see the news on the insecticide study?
Gardening is a risk for RA?
Personal insecticide use was associated with an increased risk of what the study called Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus / SLE). The study looked at post-menopausal women (why do they do these studies on older women, as if they are the typical RA’er?) Even after allowing for other known risks, such as genetic predisposition and history of cigarette smoking, insecticide use was found to be highly correlated with RA and Lupus. The closer the women worked with the household insecticides (i.e.: mixing them, handling them personally), the more likely they were to have RA or Lupus. And the more time they spent with the chemicals, the stronger the connection to ARD (Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus).
Genes are still a big risk
Scientists estimate that genetic factors account for about 50% of the risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis. What is the rest of the puzzle? What else puts us in danger of developing RA?
Other pieces to the RA trigger puzzle
Earlier this year, I read reports of the study showing an association between exposure to traffic pollution and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I heard some RA’ers ridicule the study as a waste of money since none of us believes that we got sick because of our proximity to I-95. But, I remember saying, “Hey I wonder if that might be related to the smoking studies since smoking is akin to pollution…”
There have been several studies on smoking and Rheumatoid Arthritis (or Psoriatic Arthritis). One study found that for women who have the genes associated with RA, smoking made them 21 times more likely to have anti-CCP antibodies, which are almost always associated with actual Rheumatoid Arthritis.
It seems to me that the smoking studies, the insecticide study, and the traffic study all point to the same thing. For some people, exposure to certain environmental factors contributes to the likelihood of RA. I am not a scientist, but since my kids have my genes, I’m telling them to take precautions.
Recommended reading:
Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Kitchen: Hey, We All Eat!
The Life of a Professional Patient, Blog #3
American College of Rheumatology Redefines Rheumatoid Arthritis
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How much evidence is there that a bad infection sets off a predisposition? I read somewhere(You would think I could reference my source but I can’t remember where I read it)that a person predisposed to RA can set off the beast with an infection. That happened to both me and my dad. I had an inflammatory lump in my breast and he had a vicious ear infection right before onset of RA.
Kathy,
I have not read that specifically about infection. However,that some develop RA after a “major life stressor” – yes. That could be a surgery, a childbirth, a death or divorce, bad car accident… Anyway, we are not talking about the actual cause with these stressors: only triggers. Perhaps the RA would have begun later or not at all; how can we know? We don’t know yet.
If you find that reference, please send it to me since that sounds very interesting. Thank you.
Kelly, this very subject is why I have asked before, I have a general question for people who have RA? How many of you along with having rhuematoid arthritis also have asthma and acid reflux? If so, do any of you take Advair or a Proton pump inhibitor… please drop me a line and let me know… thanks??? I had asthma and acid reflux before the RA, funny how one may lead to another?
Viesta,
I have not read any numbers on that. Maybe you should post a question / thread on the discussion tap on my FB page & we can wait to see what folks say. I’ll see what I can find…
I have asthma. I was born with it, I was a preemie. No acid reflux but I also was symptomatic was ankylosing spondylitis since i was very young.
What I have been reading is how cellular mechanism can change, such as a person being born with asthma, is on meds for many years to control the condition, this can lead to a disturbance in the immune system, which could lead to bacteria in the system getting out of control, and the immune system attacks the body where the bacteria has travelled in the blood stream- is stored in areas like the joints and RA is the result? I have been reading a lot of sites like these http://gwbandt.com/antibiotics/why-i-prescribe-antibiotics.htm#more-25
http://www.jrheum.com/subscribers/08/08/1477.html
http://www.sclerodermamiracles.com/brown-scleroderma-3.htm
Kelly you have probably read this before, I thought I would post it, I find it interesting what degree RA takes on each of us:
“There are now believed to be 3 characteristic clinical courses of RA:
course 1- monocyclic;
course 2- polycyclic;
and course 3- progressive.
Course 1, monocyclic
Approximately one third of all patients who develop RA undergo complete and permanent remission within 2 years of disease onset, with or without treatment. The course is benign and self-limiting.
Course 2, polycyclic
This is a slow, progressive course with moderate activity interspersed with short episodes of acute arthritis. Periods of acute activity become more sustained with the passage of time. This is also known as the palindromic type of RA, and it affects around 40% of patients.
Course 3, progressive
This course affects approximately 20% of patients. It represents an unrelenting, progressive, and destructive form of RA with deformity, disfigurement, and even death.
In a given patient, it is not possible to predict the future course of the disease at its outset. However, in the presence of subcutaneous nodules, high titer of RhF, and erosive x-ray changes, rapid progression and destructive changes are inevitable.”
http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals...
Yes, there are several versions of these categories and slight differences the ways they are distinguished. We have discussed this here. This is the first post about what I call the Courses of RA.
It’s good you are reading a lot! That is what I hope to inspire also. Some websites are really solid; some not as much, so be careful. Another issue: we have to be careful about how “old” the information is, since science marches on with research, thank God.
I have used almost no insecticides at all, though I also wouldn’t fit into the study group at 24 years old. So from my perspective the study seems limited in usefullness.
I do however, have Asthma. I did not have it my whole life though. It seemed to develop a year or two before I started showing RA symptoms, (though they weren’t identified as such at the time). I would be more inclined to believe a relationship between Asthma and RA since both involve an immune system response, but, in any discussion of this type I think we need to bear in mind that correlation is not the same as causation. Astha and RA may have a correlation but I doubt that asthma causes RA. Similarly, Pesticide usage or proximity to pollution may have a correlation with RA, but is their proof of causation? I doubt it based on my anecdotal experience
(I used practically no pesticides and have lived 90% of my life in small towns nowhere near major highways). But…that is worth nothing as well. All that to say, I think searching for environmental causes of RA could be a bit of a wild goose chase given that the backgrounds of people with RA are so widely varied.
Valeska what I am suspecting is the fact, strange how a person gets asthma, the meds for asthma are proven to break down the body, leave a opening for bacteria and it is a fact that some gut bacteria leads to RA, that is the relation of one leading to another, if the diease such as asthma is controlled by meds that keep the asthma down, but breaks down the body, in turn, the bacteria grows and the body’s immune system goes into over drive- RA
I have asthma, but I’ve never been on medication for it. I just have an attack occasionally. I did however have several severe ear infections growing up and had a strep infection that caused me to miss my graduation and lasted throughout the following summer before the antibiotics knocked it out.
I have always wondered if this had anything to do with my RA.
Ao Im sorry we might have toouched on this someplace and I cant find it.. Ive been searching the internet about the possibility for our children to get RA and when should they be tested. how soon does the ra factor show up in blood tests?? My son had showed signs of jra years ago but the tests come up neg.. just last night again his feet and ankle s swelled up .. He is 14.. was born with Spina Bifida. has always had aches and pains so its not like i could follow this jsut form his pain o meter..
Thanks in advance for yout replys yall!
Shannon,
It’s very hard to find any statistics about that. I read some once and I can’t even find that article now. There is genetic testing but that is very expensive I think. And even if the genes that come with RA are present, RA may not occur.
However, the Rheumatoid Factor test and the anti-CCP tests are much more common/accessible. I’d opt for those if you are suspicious. It won’t hurt him to run them at a checkup. They are not definitive either. You can have the antibody in the blood and not have symptoms or vice versa. But, it’s a good indicator.
We do have several child/parent with RA in our Facebook group so if you really need to make connections, let me know I can help you there.