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That leads to inflammation that can damage and even destroy the joints' bone and cartilage. As in other autoimmune disorders, such as lupus and psoriasis , the underlying cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not well understood.
What doctors do know is that certain factors—including smoking and obesity—can place you at higher risk of not only getting the disease, but having more severe symptoms.
Rheumatoid arthritis, like all autoimmune diseases, is defined by an immune system that has gone awry. Under normal circumstances, the body produces defensive proteins called antibodies that are "programmed" to target and attack a specific disease-causing agent called an pathogen.
For reasons unknown, the body will sometimes produce autoantibodies "auto" meaning "self" that mistake normal cells and tissues for pathogens. Depending on the disorder, the autoimmune assault may be generalized affecting multiple organs or specific preferentially targeting one or more organ systems. With rheumatoid arthritis, the joints are specifically targeted, suggesting that a part of the immune system is "misprogramming" the antibodies in a very specific way. Variants in the human leukocyte antigen HLA system , the genetic site that controls the immune response, are believed to be at the center of this anomaly.
Even so, not all people with these gene variants develop rheumatoid arthritis, and not all people with rheumatoid arthritis have these gene variants. That means it's likely other factors can trigger the autoimmune response, especially but not only a genetic predisposed to the disease.
One theory is that certain bacteria or viruses may inadvertently "confuse" the immune system. Four infections suspected of triggering rheumatoid arthritis in some people are:. Scientists believe that there may be cross-reactivity between these antigens and certain normal cells of the body. Even if the EBV infection eventually resolves, the body will remain on "high alert," ready to pounce on any cell it believes to be EBV.
Other factors may also cause the immune system to malfunction. Some of these factors may be modifiable, meaning we can change them, while others may not. Rheumatoid arthritis affects some groups of people more than others. The three non-modifiable factors commonly linked to the disease are:. While rheumatoid arthritis can strike at any age, the onset of symptoms usually begins between the ages of 40 and Moreover, the risk increases as you get older.
Overall, the odds of developing rheumatic arthritis will more than triple between the ages of 35 and 75, increasing from 29 new cases per , people per year to 99 new cases per , people per year, according to research from the Mayo Clinic. Women are two to three times likely to get rheumatoid arthritis than men. This is evidenced in part by research showing women often develop the disease after major shifts in their hormones. Estrogen , or specifically the depletion of estrogen, is believed to be the culprit.
Accordingly, estrogen replacement may offer a protective benefit to older women who may otherwise be vulnerable to the disease. The same benefit may be extended to younger women who take a combination oral contraceptive birth control pills.
If you have a parent or sibling with rheumatoid arthritis, your risk of developing the disease is three to five times greater than the general population. These figures help illustrate the central role that genetics play in the development of the autoimmune disorder. While the exact genetic permutations have yet to be identified, people with autoimmune diseases are believed to have one or more mutations that alter the way their immune system recognizes and targets disease-causing agents.
One of the primary suspects is HLA-DR4 , a gene variant linked to other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus , polymyalgia rheumatica , and autoimmune hepatitis. Research from the University of Michigan has further concluded that people with a specific genetic marker called the HLA shared epitope have a five-fold greater chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis than people without the marker.
Lifestyle risk factors are those that are modifiable. Changing these factors may not only reduce the severity of your illness, but they may also even reduce your risk of getting the disease in the first place. However, developing arthritis at younger age is possible. In children, arthritis can have a number of causes.
About half of these cases resolve by adulthood. While some forms of arthritis—namely, reactive arthritis and infectious arthritis—are caused by an infectious agent, arthritis itself is not contagious. The agent that causes it, however, can be.
Dealing with chronic inflammation? An anti-inflammatory diet can help. Our free recipe guide shows you the best foods to fight inflammation. Get yours today! Vital signs: prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation—United States, — Risk Factors. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth.
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Next in Arthritis Guide. Why Rheumatoid Arthritis Develops. Causes and Risk Factors of Gout. Frequently Asked Questions What are the causes of arthritis? Here, learn about 10 effective weight loss strategies. Results of a study from Taiwan suggest that socioeconomic status may affect the risk of developing RA.
The authors found that people had a higher chance of developing it if they lived in an area where a low monthly income was common. This could be due to factors such as occupation, housing conditions, stress, and diet, but access to healthcare may also play a role, as the researchers note. The authors of a study in the southeastern United States concluded that socioeconomic factors and racial prejudice may help shape the experiences of African Americans with RA.
They called for more research into these effects on African American people in other regions of the country. Learn more about why health equity matters in our dedicated hub. According to research , an infection may have this effect if:. Some people develop signs of some kinds of arthritis within 4 weeks of experiencing a genitourinary or gastrointestinal infection.
Some research indicates that the following infections, in particular, may contribute to RA:. Gum disease may be twice as common in people with RA than in those without the condition. This does not necessarily mean that having gum disease increases the risk of developing RA, however. Other factors may need to be present to trigger arthritis.
What are infections, and how do they affect the body? The researchers proposed that P. Authors of a study concluded that people with RA may have an abundance of certain microbes and that finding indications of these microbes in the gut may predict the development of the disease.
Almost a year later, in an animal-based study, researchers found that altering the balance of microbes in the gut could prevent the onset of RA. Dietary factors can affect the risk of many diseases, and some researchers have suggested that certain substances in foods can trigger the onset of RA.
Authors of a study found that a type of bacteria in some milk and beef may trigger RA in people with genetic predispositions. A year earlier, other researchers had identified a number of foods that may help reduce inflammation in people with RA, possibly due to their antioxidant properties.
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