By By Tara Parker-Pope, Published: October 27, 2008, New York Times
Researchers have identified an unexplained surge in the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in women.
After declining for four decades, rheumatoid arthritis is on the rise among women in the United States, according to new research.
From 1955 to 1994, the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis was dropping, but the trends began to shift in the mid-1990s. The disease is now diagnosed in about 54 women out of every 100,000, compared to about 36 women of every 100,000 in earlier decades. The incidence for men remains at about 29 per 100,000.
The reasons behind the rise aren’t known, but researchers speculate that environmental factors may be playing a role. Smoking has been strongly linked with an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis. Other studies suggest an association between the disease and diet, coffee intake, alcohol consumption and body mass index, but a causal relationship hasn’t been shown.
Many researchers believe one or more infectious agents might act as a trigger for the disease; however, no definitive research has identified a virus or other agent. Because women are more vulnerable, researchers have speculated that sex hormones, reproductive factors or possibly sexually transmitted infections may play a role.
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