This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Use of oral contraceptives linked with reduced patient risk for rheumatoid arthritis
Oral contraceptives were linked with a reduced risk for rheumatoid arthritis among women, according to a recently published study.
“[We] found an inverse relationship between [oral contraceptive] OC use and the subsequent development of [rheumatoid arthritis] RA, especially [anti-citrullinated protein antibody] ACPA-positive RA,” the researchers wrote. “An interaction between never OC use and smoking was also observed for this subgroup of disease, implying that among smokers, the risk was more pronounced in never OC users than in ever OC users.”
Investigators assessed 2,641 women with RA and 4,251 controls. Researchers found ever and past OC users had a reduced risk for ACPA-positive RA compared with never OC users (odds ratio = 0.84). In addition, OC use for more than 7 years decreased the risk of ACPA-positive and ACPA-negative RA. Furthermore, breastfeeding decreased the risk of ACPA-positive RA in a dose-dependent fashion; however, this association did not remain after adjustment for confounders. There was also a significant relation between lack of OC use and smoking on the risk of ACPA-positive RA. – by Will Offit
Disclosure s : The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.