American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 144, No. 1: 15-24
Copyright © 1996 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
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Age, Sex, and the Familial Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis
1Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, and Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA
2Doris Palmer Arthritis and Rehabilitation Center Saint Margaret Memorial Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
3Departments of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland Cleveland, OH
4Department of Genetics and Center for Human Genetics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland Cleveland, OH
5Department of Social Work, Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
Reprint requests to Dr. C. Kent Kwoh, University Hospitals, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106.
The familial aggregation of rheumatoid arthritis was examined to determine factors modifying the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in first degree relatives of 165 cases ascertained from January 1, 1987, through March 31, 1987, using the Saint Margaret Memorial Hospital Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, without regard to previous information conceming the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis among their family members. The reported affection status of first degree relatives, verified through a structured clinical evaluation, revealed a false-positive reporting rate for family members of 61%. In contrast, there were no false-negative cases detected. There were no differences in average family size or total number of years at risk between 135 simplex and 30 multiplex families; however, aggregation analysis revealed that only 18 of 30 confirmed multiplex families had significant excess risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Significant differences were found when probands from multiplex families were compared with those from simplex families with regard to female to male ratio for probands (1: 1 in multiplex families vs. 3: 1 in simplex families) and average age of onset for probands (41 years in multiplex families vs. 48 years in simplex families). The familial risk for rheumatoid arthritis was similar in parents (4.2%) and siblings (4.6%) and lowest for children (0.7%) of probands. The authors assert that the affection status of first degree relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis is often falsely reported as positive. The familialrty of rheumatoid arthritis may be more accurately related to the sex and age at onset of the affected family member. Am J Epidemiol 1996; 144: 15–24.
arthritis; rheumatoid; epidemiologic factors; family; risk; risk factors
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