What are 10 risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis?

[Amy_Lee]

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

[linda-5502]

B.......y awful i amhaving a real flar e up today and tnite pain is awful xxx

[Amy_Lee in reply to linda-5502]

Dear Linda,

I am very sorry to know that you are having a real flare up today. Have you been taken your medicines all these while? Have you checked with your rheumy with the flare up?

Over here, my rheumy told me that if there is any flare up, I can just walk in to see him or her, no appointment is needed. So far I do not have any flare up since remission hence I am not sure what to do if there is one. Love to know what you do and hope you can recover from there.

Poor thing, I believe it is just like the normal onset of RA, you need to go through the painful recovery process again. I hope it is not too much for you to bear.

Amy

[linda-5502 in reply to Amy_Lee]

Thanks amy wish we could do what u do i do havr a telp number t ring but u cant speak t anyone they will phone back e eventually. I am on new tablets so it could b those!!!!!

Thankyou anh way am feelinng a bit better tday xxx

[Amy_Lee in reply to linda-5502]

Hope you will get better soon. Do keep me inform of your progress please.

Amy

[helixhelix]

The conclusion of the paper is...

“It is not clear exactly what causes RA, but some factors can increase the risk of developing it.

Some factors are unavoidable, but quitting smoking, maintaining a suitable body weight, and eating a healthful diet with limited amounts of processed food may help some people to prevent the onset of this painful condition”

Which is sadly too late for us. I certainly wish that the link with smoking was more public as maybe I’d have stopped earlier and not triggered RA.

[PFKAAde in reply to helixhelix]

Snap.

[Amy_Lee in reply to helixhelix]

I do think I was under tremendous stress a few years before the onset of RA. Also, a year before the RA, I also had a cut on my hand where I ended a small operation. In addition, I was also a year after menopause, so I am not sure which factor triggered the RA.

I did/do have a very healthy lifestyle so I was not able to accept the fact. But then, I had no choice and eventually had to fight the disease painfully. I still continue to lookout for any latest update of the disease hoping to find some good news.

Amy

[BoneyC]

Sceptical ..... only one I believe in is the genetic link. At 6 years old I was not smoking, obese, under stress etc. etc.

[PFKAAde in reply to BoneyC]

The smoking link is pretty well established, it doesn’t mean that you have to be a smoker to develop it, it just means smokers have a higher chance of developing it given all the other prerequisites are in place (genetics, environmental etc).

It is also linked to a worse progression, so giving up is even more important for us RA’ers than others (not that lung cancer, emphysema, COPD etc aren’t already good reasons!).

And yes, I did smoke — for about twenty years either side of my diagnosis. And was under relentless stress at work when I became ill initially.

We live and learn. Hopefully!

🙏🏻

[BoneyC in reply to PFKAAde]

Neither of my parents smoked and I lived in the countryside on a farm, plenty of fresh air. Still sceptical.

[PFKAAde in reply to BoneyC]

And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of scepticism!

Further reading:

scholar.google.co.uk/schola...

🙏🏻

[Hidden in reply to BoneyC]

I did smoke briefly but many members of my family were heavy smokers , grandparents, uncles, aunts. My gran did have RA though, so I can accept both as links.

[helixhelix in reply to BoneyC]

Smoking is pretty well proven as a risk factor for RA. Which doesn’t mean that everyone who smokes will get RA, or that people who don’t smoke won’t get RA. But just if you smoke you are about twice as likely to get RA as someone who doesn’t.

You were just horribly unlucky.

[Amy_Lee in reply to BoneyC]

I would rather believe the factors listed so that I can continue to maintain my remission and to help others to reduce the possible risk of RA if I can.

Amy