Immunological findings in relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disease, with a very complex genetic component, being the most common rheumatic inflammatory disease. Family aggregation and the presence of autoantibodies in patients with RA suggest that the disease has autoimmune pathogenesis, despite the fact that the etiology is not fully known. The family members of patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk of developing RA and are potential candidates for predictive testing. Identifying relatives at risk of RA may allow targeted interventions to reduce the risk and catastrophic consequence of future disease.

Keywords

• rheumatoid arthritis
• autoantibody
• autoimmunity
• relatives