New method of identifying people at high risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis

20 Sep 2013 Researchers at The University of Manchester and King's College London, funded by Arthritis Research UK, have developed a new method to identify people that are at a very high-risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, using a simple blood test and information about their smoking habits. Rheumatoid arthritis is a potentially crippling autoimmune condition that causes pain and inflammation in the joints. It affects around 400,000 people in the UK and is at present incurable. Many factors are known to contribute to an individual's risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. These are divided into two categories: inherited genetic factors and so called 'environmental' factors such as smoking. Experts in the genetics of rheumatoid arthritis led by Professor Jane Worthington at The University of Manchester teamed up with Dr Ian Scott at King's College London to develop a new computer-based technique of prediction modelling which uses both genetic and environmental risk factors to estimate an individual's lifetime risk of developing this disease. The Manchester team are also part of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, a partnership between Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester.