LETTER TO THE EDITOR - Association of RA with MS: report of 14 cases

[Guest guest]

Journal of Rheumatology

May 2006

" Association of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Multiple Sclerosis:

Report of 14 Cases and Discussion of Its Significance "

Excerpt:

The worldwide prevalence of RA has been estimated at 1% while the

frequency of MS is 0.1%. RA and MS can be associated with various

autoimmune diseases but the association of the 2 diseases in the same

patient has rarely been reported4,5. In a case control study, 5 cases

of RA were found in 155 MS (1.9%)6. Another study reported that 15% of

French MS patients had a first degree relative with autoimmune disease

(including Grave's disease, RA, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes mellitus)7.

These data suggest that an association may exist between MS and

another autoimmune disease. Many lines of evidence indicate that MS is

a T cell mediated autoimmune disease similar to RA1,8 with genetic and

environmental factors playing a role in their pathogenesis. RA and MS

share many similarities regarding their pathophysiology, etiology, and

histology; and certain viruses like Epstein-Barr virus have been

incriminated as a possible etiologic factor in both diseases1. Another

relevant finding is the existence of T cell reactivity against myelin

basic protein, the putative autoantigen in MS, for circulating

mononuclear cells from patients with RA8.

*************************************************************

Read the entire letter here:

http://www.jrheum.com/subscribers/06/05/1027.html

--

Not an MD