Repetitive physical workloads 'can increase risk of rheumatoid arthritis'

People whose jobs involve carrying out repetitive physical tasks could be at an elevated risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.This is according to a new study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which was presented at the European League Against Rheumatism's annual congress and represents the first study to show a link between physical workloads and rheumatoid arthritis.The impact of certain types of work The research examined data from 3,680 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 5,935 matched controls from the Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis study, revealing that some types of physical work increased the odds of developing arthritis more than others.It was shown that exposure to repeated vibration, carrying or lifting weights greater than ten kg, bending/turning and working with hands either below knee level or above shoulder level were all associated with an elevated risk of developing the disease.All of these forms of manual labour are common in the building trade, suggesting workers in this field may be especially susceptible.A genetic component? To investigate whether some people are more susceptible than others, the risk ratio was compared in subjects with and without a specific genotype called HLA-DRB1.It was revealed that there was a significant interaction between genetic makeup in terms of HLA-DRB1 genes and the risk of ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis associated with specific types of physical workload.Pingling Zeng, of the In...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news