Early infections raise arthritis risk

Children with serious infections during their first year of life are more vulnerable to develop rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile idiopathic arthritis at an early age. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease and can also strike young people, resulting in pain, stiffness and swelling. It affects about 20 million people worldwide and is the most common chronic rheumatic disorder in children. To investigate the association between exposure to serious infections during the first year of life and the likelihood of developing rheumatoid arthritis, researchers from Sweden tracked more than 3,500 men and women born between 1973 and 2002. The researchers looked at information on maternal health, pregnancy and birth details and whether the children had any infections during the first 12 months of life. It was found that children who had serious infections early on were more than twice as likely as other people to develop rheumatoid arthritis as a young adult. The above findings raise the possibility that infections during the first year of life, and possibly also factors related to fetal growth and timing of birth, may be responsible for the development of rheumatoid arthritis later on.

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