Prediction of postpartum onset of rheumatoid arthritis

doi:10.1136/ard.57.8.460

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 1998;57:460-463; doi:10.1136/ard.57.8.460

Ann Rheum Dis 1998;57:460-463 ( August )

Extended reports

Prediction of postpartum onset of rheumatoid arthritis Takashi Iijima,^a Hisato Tada,^a Yoh Hidaka,^a Aya Yagoro,^a Nobuaki Mitsuda,^b Toru Kanzaki,^b Yuji Murata,^b Nobuyuki Amino^a

^a Departments of Laboratory Medicine, ^b and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, ^c Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan

Correspondence to: Dr N Amino, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan.

Accepted for publication 18 June 1998

OBJECTIVE $---$ To investigate the prediction of the postpartum onset of rheumatoid arthritis(RA).
METHODS $---$ Two thousand five hundred and forty seven healthy pregnant subjects were examined prospectively and the relation between serumrheumatoid factors (RF) and postpartum onset of RA was observed.Rheumatoid factors were measured in early pregnancy by the antihumanIgG latex agglutination test (Latex test) and antirabbit IgG haemagglutinationtest (RAHAtest).
RESULTS $---$ Latex test and RAHA test were positive in 26 (1.0%) and 64 (2.5%) pregnant subjects, respectively. Four hundred and ten subjectsof 2547 pregnant women could be followed up for one year afterdelivery. None of 401 subjects without RF, or with only one RFon either Latex test or RAHA test, developed RA after delivery.Two (22.2%) of nine subjects with both RFs developed RA at oneand three months postpartum, respectively. Transient arthralgiawas found within 12 months postpartum in three of nine (33.3%)subjects with both RFs and this prevalence was significantly higherthan that in RF negative subjects (8.1%).
CONCLUSION $---$ Postpartum onset of RA was found in at least 2 of 2547 healthy subjects (0.08%) and onset was predicted by positive test forrheumatoidfactors.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis; pregnancy; postpartum onset; rheumatoid factor

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Gayed, M., Gordon, C. (2007). Pregnancy and rheumatic diseases. Rheumatology (Oxford) 46: 1634-1640 [Abstract] [Full Text]

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