COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Jun 15, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The beneficial effects of
pregnancy and childbearing on arthritic conditions may be more long-term than
previously thought, Norwegian researchers said.
Dr. Marianne Wallenius, of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
said
nulliparous women -- those who have not given birth to children -- are diagnosed
with chronic arthritides -- including ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic
arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis an average of 5.2 years before parous women
-- who have given birth to children.
Rheumatoid factor -- an autoantibody sometimes found in the immune systems of
people with rheumatoid arthritis -- was also present in 37.1 percent of the
nulliparous women compared with 41.1 percent of the parous women; although not
statistically significant, the difference may indicate that the parous women
studied may possess a higher disposition to developing arthritis than the
nulliparous women, Wallenius said.
"Arthritic conditions tend to occur more commonly in women, particularly those
of childbearing age. Some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, for example, can
improve during pregnancy, but our study indicates that the processes of
pregnancy and childbearing could delay the onset of arthritic conditions,"
Wallenius said in a statement.
"Continued examination of the complex interactions between the female
reproductive processes and the epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis could yield
further interesting insights."
The findings were published in the European League Against Rheumatism, the
annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Copenhagen,
Denmark.
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