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| |  Heavy Birth Weight Doubles Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis NEW YORK -- June 30, 2008 -- People who have a birth weight over 10 pounds are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis when they are adults compared with individuals born with an average birth weight. These results are according to a study by researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery published online in advance of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. While the mechanism for this association is unclear, the study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor and highlights a potential way to decrease the incidence of the disease. "There may be a relationship between being born over 10 pounds and getting rheumatoid arthritis later in life," said Lisa Mandl, MD, MPH, Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, New York, who led the study. "If there was some way that you could prevent someone from getting rheumatoid arthritis by making sure their birth weight wasn't over 10 pounds, this is a risk factor that could be modifiable." Dr. Mandl and colleagues turned to a study of 87,077 women in the Nurses' Health Study in 1976. Nurses were invited to participate in this study that involved a baseline survey and then a biennial questionnaire regarding health status, lifestyle, family medical history, and health practices. The investigators excluded women who had cancer or any type of connective tissue disease at baseline or follow-up because these can cause joint swelling, symptoms that can be confused with rheumatoid arthritis. Also excluded were women who reported having rheumatoid arthritis or connective tissue disease during follow-up, but in whom the diagnosis could not be confirmed by review of their medical record. The study population included only women who answered a 1992 survey that collected information about birth weight. After these exclusions, 87,077 individuals were included in the study and 619 of them developed rheumatoid arthritis. Through statistical analysis, the investigators discovered that a birth weight of greater than 4.54 kg doubled the risk that a person would develop rheumatoid arthritis as an adult compared with individuals who had an average birth weight. "There have now been 2 different groups, in different countries with different patients born at different times, that both suggest a similar relationship between birth weight and rheumatoid arthritis," said Dr. Mandl.
SOURCE: Hospital for Special Surgery
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