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Perinatal characteristics, early life infections and later risk of rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Carlens, C. ; Jacobsson, Lennart LU ; Brandt, L. ; Cnattingius, S. ; Stephansson, O. and Askling, J. (2009) In Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 68(7). p.1159-1164
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the importance of birth characteristics and early life infections on the risk of later rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods: A nationwide register-based case-control study was performed based on prospectively recorded data on individuals born in 1973 or later. Using the Swedish inpatient register and the early arthritis register, cases with RA aged 16 years or above (n = 333) and JIA (n = 3334) were identified. From the Swedish medical birth register (MBR), four controls per case, matched by sex, year and delivery unit were randomly selected. Through linkage to the MBR and to the Swedish inpatient register information on maternal, pregnancy and birth characteristics and... (More)
Objectives: To investigate the importance of birth characteristics and early life infections on the risk of later rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods: A nationwide register-based case-control study was performed based on prospectively recorded data on individuals born in 1973 or later. Using the Swedish inpatient register and the early arthritis register, cases with RA aged 16 years or above (n = 333) and JIA (n = 3334) were identified. From the Swedish medical birth register (MBR), four controls per case, matched by sex, year and delivery unit were randomly selected. Through linkage to the MBR and to the Swedish inpatient register information on maternal, pregnancy and birth characteristics and infections during the first year of life was identified. Univariate and multivariate odds ratios (OR) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Overall, infections during the first year of life were associated with increased risks for seronegative (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 7.0) but not seropositive (OR 1.2) RA and for JIA (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.1). Low birth weight (OR 0.7) and being small for gestational age (OR 0.5) were associated with reduced risks of RA of borderline statistical significance. Preterm birth (gestational age <= 258 days) was associated with a non-significantly decreased risk of RA (OR 0.6). Large for gestational age (OR 1.6) and having more than three older siblings (OR 1.4) were non-significantly associated with the risk of RA. Conclusion: Infections during the first year of life, and possibly also factors related to fetal growth and timing of birth, may be important in the aetiologies of adult RA and JIA. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
volume
68
issue
7
pages
1159 - 1164
publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • wos:000266956800014
  • scopus:67549148790
  • pmid:18957482
ISSN
1468-2060
DOI
10.1136/ard.2008.089342
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1234839d-fedc-45c1-8c03-69a806144541 (old id 1442406)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:55:34
date last changed
2022-03-29 04:32:45
@article{1234839d-fedc-45c1-8c03-69a806144541,
  abstract     = {{Objectives: To investigate the importance of birth characteristics and early life infections on the risk of later rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods: A nationwide register-based case-control study was performed based on prospectively recorded data on individuals born in 1973 or later. Using the Swedish inpatient register and the early arthritis register, cases with RA aged 16 years or above (n = 333) and JIA (n = 3334) were identified. From the Swedish medical birth register (MBR), four controls per case, matched by sex, year and delivery unit were randomly selected. Through linkage to the MBR and to the Swedish inpatient register information on maternal, pregnancy and birth characteristics and infections during the first year of life was identified. Univariate and multivariate odds ratios (OR) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Overall, infections during the first year of life were associated with increased risks for seronegative (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.0 to 7.0) but not seropositive (OR 1.2) RA and for JIA (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.1). Low birth weight (OR 0.7) and being small for gestational age (OR 0.5) were associated with reduced risks of RA of borderline statistical significance. Preterm birth (gestational age &lt;= 258 days) was associated with a non-significantly decreased risk of RA (OR 0.6). Large for gestational age (OR 1.6) and having more than three older siblings (OR 1.4) were non-significantly associated with the risk of RA. Conclusion: Infections during the first year of life, and possibly also factors related to fetal growth and timing of birth, may be important in the aetiologies of adult RA and JIA.}},
  author       = {{Carlens, C. and Jacobsson, Lennart and Brandt, L. and Cnattingius, S. and Stephansson, O. and Askling, J.}},
  issn         = {{1468-2060}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{1159--1164}},
  publisher    = {{BMJ Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases}},
  title        = {{Perinatal characteristics, early life infections and later risk of rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ard.2008.089342}},
  doi          = {{10.1136/ard.2008.089342}},
  volume       = {{68}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}