<p>Having children with certain genetic makeup, inherited from the father, increases the mother's risk of rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic disorder that affects joints, says a new study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Rheumatoid arthritis, a painful inflammatory condition that primarily affects the joints, has been tied to a variety of genetic and environmental factors, including lifestyle factors and previous infections.<br /><br />"The female predilection of rheumatoid arthritis strongly suggests that factors involved in pregnancy are involved," said first study author Giovanna Cruz from the University of California - Berkeley in the US.<br /><br />Certain versions of the immune system gene HLA-DRB1, known collectively as the shared alleles (each of two alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation), are associated with the condition.<br /><br />HLA genes are best known for their involvement in the immune system's response to infection.<br /><br />The researchers analysed the genes of women with and without the shared allele associated with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and their children.<br /><br />They found that having children with these high-risk alleles increased the women's risk of rheumatoid arthritis. The findings could possibly explain why women are at higher risk of developing the disease than men.<br /><br />"Women are three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than men, with peak rates among women in their 40s and 50s," Cruz concluded.<br /><br />This research is set to be presented Tuesday at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual Meeting 2014 in San Diego.</p>
<p>Having children with certain genetic makeup, inherited from the father, increases the mother's risk of rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic disorder that affects joints, says a new study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Rheumatoid arthritis, a painful inflammatory condition that primarily affects the joints, has been tied to a variety of genetic and environmental factors, including lifestyle factors and previous infections.<br /><br />"The female predilection of rheumatoid arthritis strongly suggests that factors involved in pregnancy are involved," said first study author Giovanna Cruz from the University of California - Berkeley in the US.<br /><br />Certain versions of the immune system gene HLA-DRB1, known collectively as the shared alleles (each of two alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation), are associated with the condition.<br /><br />HLA genes are best known for their involvement in the immune system's response to infection.<br /><br />The researchers analysed the genes of women with and without the shared allele associated with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and their children.<br /><br />They found that having children with these high-risk alleles increased the women's risk of rheumatoid arthritis. The findings could possibly explain why women are at higher risk of developing the disease than men.<br /><br />"Women are three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than men, with peak rates among women in their 40s and 50s," Cruz concluded.<br /><br />This research is set to be presented Tuesday at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual Meeting 2014 in San Diego.</p>