Inheritance of rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

SummaryThe inheritance of rheumatoid arthritis was investigated in three areas in Sweden where nearly the total population over the age of seven (22,707 persons) was examined for the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (ARA-criteria). No significantly higher frequencies of rheumatoid arthritis were found among relatives of rheumatoid arthritics than among matched relatives of matched controls. The results are disappointing and throw no new light on possible inheritance of rheumatoid arthritis.