6/3/10 A new study has shown that for the first time in 40 years, the number of new cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in American women appears to be on the rise.
Researchers say they don’t know exactly what’s behind the recent uptick – the number of new cases appears to have increased by about 2.5 percent between 1995 and 2007 – but they think environmental factors may be to blame.
“It was a statistically significant observation, which means it is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone,” explains lead author Sherine Gabriel, MD, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
For the study, published in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, Dr. Gabriel and her team sorted through medical records of 1,761 patients older than age 18 who had been diagnosed with arthritis. They found 466 of those patients were diagnosed with RA, and 69 percent of them were women. And while rates were increasing each year among women, they fell 0.5 percent a year among men.
This is an observational study, so while researchers were able to track the population over a long period of time, the data didn’t allow them to determine a cause for the difference in rates among women and men; and they don’t know exactly why more women are getting the inflammatory condition.
But they can make a few educated guesses about the increase.
“There are only two broad reasons for such a change – genetic or environmental,” Dr. Gabriel explains. “Genetic changes do not happen that quickly, as it takes many generations to change the gene pool. So it is much more plausible to assume an environmental factor.”
Scientists say there is evidence in published literature suggesting three environmental factors may increase the risk of RA. The most obvious is cigarette smoking. Researchers say while fewer people in the U.S. are smoking than years past, women are stopping at a slower rate than men – which might account for the higher RA rates among women.
Ted Mikuls, MD, an associate professor in the division of rheumatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, wrote an editorial accompanying the study stressing the importance of figuring out why RA is on the rise in women. He says there is strong data showing that smoking is one good possibility.
It was determined that I had walking pneumonia for approx.3 Wks, I was spitting up sputum (Heavy) felt Great till I went down on Oct 1st 2010
Point: Overheard the Md's saying the Remicade loweren my immune system, thus the onset of pneunomia, not considering the beef I have with the Metholtrexate. I spent 4 days pumped full of a Antibiotics Called Avello It cured me !!!!!
Dischared I was given a script for Avello (10)pills for 385.00 to finish me up ********
Now I have headaches Daily when I dont use Oxygen 24/7. Since the tubes were taken out of my wind pipe. I am 62 ,what do I do?
Scared to Death of Rhemacade/ not treating the Rhematoid Arthritus!!!!!!Stay away form those autoimmune suppressant drugs Is the only thing I have to Fight hid debilitating Deasese/ Signing off now Talked to much anyway, propally lost yourattion far back, have a GOOD LIFE !!!!!!!!!!! R.C.
No genetic involvement in my case and childbirth could not have triggered the onset of RA at age five. The massive amounts of food additives we consume and environmental pollution contribute heavily to the increase in RA patients. Studies have proven these two factors contribute or cause several dangerous diseases. Their involvement in RA will be proved as soon as politics and business are kept out of medicine disease.
I fortunately have had no side effects.
MY Insurance CO. BlueX, Blue shield refused to pay for the Remicade last year ! They told me" New Policy" and gave me the run around.
The Drug costs 1200.00 per infusion !
Fortunately and my point is that there are foundations that will pick up the co-payment
regardless of your income.
ASK your M.D about the organization he knows about.
What I worry about are the side effects that the readers have stated. Almost killed, was the common used defination of the side effect !!
I will get busy on my to Find Out <sincr\e my M.D says ther are None !!!!
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