Rheumatoid arthritis risk factors

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Manpreet Kaur, MD [2]

Common risk factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis are a positive family history of RA, cigarette smoking, Native American race, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen HLA-DR4 and patient with silica and asbestos exposure. Less common risk factors include obesity and high consumption of red meat.

• Common risk factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis include:
  • A positive family history of rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Cigarette smoking: The duration of smoking is co-related strongly with increased risk of RA.^[1]
  • Gender: Women have a higher risk as compared to men.^[2]
  • Race:
    • Native Americans have higher prevalence rates.
    • African american and Caribbean region have lower prevalence rates.
    • More common in monozygotic twins and diazygotic twins.^[3]
  • Genetic:
    • It is strongly associated with the inherited tissue type major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen HLA-DR4 (most specifically DR0401 and 0404), hence family history is an important risk factor.
  • Occupational factors:
    • Silica and asbestos exposure have been associated with development of RA.^{[4] [5]}

• Less common risk factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis include:
  • Obesity and high consumption of red meat may lead to an increased disease severity.^[6][7]
  • Increased alcohol intake.

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