Review of environmental factors and juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Abstract

Daniel B Horton,1–3 Susan Shenoi4 1Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; 2Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; 3Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA; 4Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Center and University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USACorrespondence: Susan ShenoiDivision of Rheumatology, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Mailstop: MA.7.110, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USATel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [email protected]: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a common rheumatic disease that presents as chronic childhood arthritis. JIA is considered a multifactorial disease that may result from diverse genetic and environmental risk factors. A minority of the population-attributable risk of JIA is estimated to be due to familial factors. Thus, non-genetic or environmental factors likely account for a majority of the risk of developing JIA. Yet, while substantial data have linked environmental factors to the development of rheumatoid arthritis, similar evidence regarding JIA is sparse. This narrative review provides updates on recent literature about environmental factors that might influence the risk of developing JIA, including studies about potentially beneficial and harmful influences as well as factors with unclear effects.Keywords: environmental exposure, risk factors, juvenile arthritis, antibiotics, breast feeding, cesarean section

Keywords

• environmental exposure
• risk factors
• juvenile arthritis
• antibiotics
• breast feeding
• cesarean section