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Hope For Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers May Lie In Hay Fever LONDON, ENGLAND -- July 22, 1998 -- Susceptibility to hay fever may hold the key to the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, suggests research in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The researchers found that the prevalence of hay fever in patients with rheumatoid arthritis was half that of people who did not have the disease. The prevalence of hay fever in those without rheumatoid arthritis approximated that of the general population. The researchers also found that patients with hay fever had fewer and less severe symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis than their non-allergic counterparts. X-ray evidence of joint damage was also less. Altogether, 304 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 399 without the disease were assessed. The reason for this disparity, the authors write, lies in the ratio between two different types of T cell, both of which are involved in inflammatory responses in the body. T1 cells have an important role in cellular immunity. T2 cells, on the other hand, are involved in the responses which produce the symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis and hay fever. The ratio of these cells should be such that the effects of both types counterbalance each other, but in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers T1 cells predominate. T2 cells predominate in those with atopic allergies. The authors therefore suggest that the chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis could be controlled if a way of increasing the T2 count could be found. Related Links: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version