Fw: For the Rheumatiod Variety, Cause More Likely to Be theEnvironment

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From: " Kathi (by way of ilena rose) " <1pureheart@...>

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Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2002 2:32 AM

Subject: For the Rheumatiod Variety, Cause More Likely to Be theEnvironment

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> Genes Play Minor Role in Arthritis

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> For the Rheumatiod Variety, Cause More Likely to Be the Environment

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> By W. , MD WebMD Medical News

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> Reviewed by D. Vogin, MD

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> -->

> Feb. 4, 2002 -- People with rheumatoid arthritis are often looking for

> reasons why they have the disabling joint pain and swelling. The latest

> study weighing in on this issue shows that it may have little to do with

> genes -- and much more to do with the environment.

>

> Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, affects more than 2 million Americans. Both

> environmental and genetic reasons for the disease have been identified,

> but no single factor has emerged as significant enough to cause the

> disease, according to the researchers.

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> Anders J. Svendsen and colleagues used a study of more than 37,000 twins

> to compare environmental vs. genetic causes of RA. Twin studies are a

> simple but effective way of doing this.

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> Researchers compared the frequency of RA in identical twins -- who share

> 100% of the same genes -- to non-identical twins. Non-identical twins

> share about 50% of the same genes -- same as a non-twin brother or sister.

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> RA was seen in 13 identical twins and in 36 non-identical twins. There

> were no cases in which both identical twins had RA but two sets of

> non-identical twins had the disease.

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> These findings suggest that RA is no more common in identical twins than

> in non-identical twins. This means that the environment is likely to play

> a much bigger role in causing RA than genetics.

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> This study doesn't prove that there is no association between RA and

> genetics. It's not uncommon for people with RA to have another family

> member with the disease. In fact, in an editorial accompanying the study,

> Alan J. Silman says there is undoubtedly a genetic contribution to RA.

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> But these results do emphasize that the genetic effects are weak compared

> to the environmental factors, writes Silman.

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