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High serum cholesterol cited as risk factor for RA in women, but not men
Although investigators of this study discovered high total serum cholesterol levels were predictive of rheumatoid arthritis in women, they found no such correlation for men.
Using the Malmö Preventive Medicine Program database, researchers studied information for 33,346 men and 22,444 women recruited between 1974 and 1992. Mean age at inclusion was 49.3 years for women and 45.5 years for men. Each patient was matched for age, sex and year of screening to four living participants without RA.
Total cholesterol and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were measured, and patients self-reported medical history and smoking status. Women who participated after 1983 were issued a questionnaire about menopause. A total of 290 patients who developed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after inclusion into the database were identified, including 151 men and 139 women.
Women diagnosed with RA were more likely to have higher total cholesterol compared with control participants during the follow-up, while no similarities were observed between men with high total cholesterol who developed RA and the comparison group. Women with total cholesterol in the highest quartile had an odds ratio of 3.09 for developing RA compared with women in the second quartile, and the risk remained higher than in the comparison group after adjusting for smoking or early menopause. The risk of developing RA for men in the highest total cholesterol quartile was not elevated compared with patients in the second quartile, and no association was seen in women or men with triglyceride levels.
A negative association between the development of RA and BMI was seen in men and not in women. A trend toward correlation was seen between RA and early menopause, but this did not reach significance. Women in early menopause had significantly higher total cholesterol compared to women in normal or late menopause.
A higher risk for rheumatoid factor (RF) arthritis was seen among women with high cholesterol in addition to a higher risk for RF-negative arthritis, but no associations were seen among men with total cholesterol and RF status. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.