A recent study published online in RMD Open suggests that specific hormonal and reproductive factors contribute to an elevated risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among women.
Led by Ling-Qiong Jiang from the Anhui Medical University School of Public Health in Hefei, China, the research team delved into data pertaining to hormonal and reproductive aspects from a prospective cohort comprising 223,526 participants in the U.K. Biobank. The primary objective was to explore the correlation between these factors and the risk of developing RA.
Over a median follow-up period of 12.39 years, the study identified 3,313 women who developed RA. The analysis revealed notable associations between certain factors and an increased risk of RA in women.
Compared to women experiencing menarche at the age of 13, those with menarche occurring at over 14 years faced a heightened risk of RA, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.13. Additionally, women undergoing menopause before the age of 45 exhibited a multiple adjusted HR of 1.46 for RA. The risk of RA was also elevated in women with reproductive years below 33 (HR 1.39). Moreover, those with at least four children, in contrast to those with two, experienced a higher risk of RA, indicated by an HR of 1.18. The study found that women who underwent a hysterectomy or oophorectomy faced increased risks of RA compared to those who did not (HRs 1.40 and 1.21, respectively). Furthermore, the use of hormone replacement therapy and its duration were both associated with an increased risk of RA (HRs 1.46 and 1.02, respectively).
The study concludes that these findings hold significance and provide a foundation for developing targeted intervention measures to mitigate the risk of RA in women. The identified associations between hormonal and reproductive factors and RA risk pave the way for potential novel interventions in the future.
