According to research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, breathing in everyday occupational dust and fumes from substances including vapours, gases, and solvents may increase the chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The results also suggest that they may increase the harmful effects of smoking and genetic illness vulnerability. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory joint disease marked by excruciating pain and functional impairment. Up to 1 per cent of people worldwide are impacted.

It is well known that smoking increases a person’s risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, but it is unknown what effect inhaling dust and fumes from the workplace may have.

In a bid to find out, the researchers drew on data from the Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of RA. This comprises 4,033 people newly diagnosed between 1996 and 2017 and 6,485 others matched for age and sex, but free of the disease (comparison group).

Personal job histories were provided and used to estimate the amount of individual exposure to 32 airborne workplace agents, using a validated technique.

Each participant was assigned a Genetic Risk Score (GRS), according to whether they carried genes that could increase their chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is characterised by the presence or absence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies or ACPA for short. ACPA positivity denotes a worse prognosis with higher rates of erosive joint damage.

Nearly three-quarters of those with rheumatoid arthritis testing positive (73 per cent) and negative (72 per cent) for ACPA had been exposed to at least one workplace dust or fume compared with around two-thirds (67 per cent) of people in the comparison group. Analysis of the data showed that exposure to workplace agents was not only associated with a heightened risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, but also seemed to boost that risk further by interacting with smoking and genetic susceptibility.

Exposure to any workplace agent was associated with a 25 per cent heightened risk of developing ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis, overall. And this risk increased to 40 per cent in men.

Specifically, 17 out of 32 agents, including quartz, asbestos, diesel fumes, gasoline fumes, carbon monoxide, and fungicides, were strongly associated with an increased risk of developing ACPA-positive disease. Only a few agents—quartz dust (silica), asbestos, and detergents—were strongly associated with ACPA-negative disease.   Source: ANI