Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • In Brief
  • Published:

Rheumatoid arthritis

Having any parent with RA increases disease risk

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 12, page 70 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

The results of a Danish nationwide cohort study involving almost two million children followed up from birth to age 16 years reveal excess morbidity in children whose parents have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Detrimental effects occur in children exposed to paternal as well as maternal RA, suggesting a genetic (rather than epigenetic) aetiology. Most of the 11 disease categories assessed show similar risk increases, but the largest risk increases are observed for autoimmune diseases: a threefold increase in risk of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (HR 3.30, 95% CI 2.71–4.03 for maternal RA and HR 2.97, 95% CI 2.20–4.01 for paternal RA); a ≤40% increase in the risk of type 1 diabetes mellitus (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.12–1.66 and HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.09–1.90) and a ≤30% increase in the risk of asthma (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.20–1.36 and HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04–1.26), respectively.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Rom, A. L. et al. Parental rheumatoid arthritis and long-term child morbidity: a nationwide cohort study. Ann. Rheum. Dis. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-208072

Download references

Authors
  1. Caroline Barranco
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Barranco, C. Having any parent with RA increases disease risk. Nat Rev Rheumatol 12, 70 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2016.2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2016.2

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing