The influence of sex on the phenotype of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

RA is a heterogeneous disease with variations in phenotype. Sex-associated factors influence disease severity as well as disease pattern. Because sex-related effects influence treatment goals, treatment responses, and side effects, they should be considered in clinical study design and analysis as well as in the treatment decisions for individual patients with RA.

Declining use of orthopedic surgery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis? Results of a long‐term, population‐based assessment

“…The likelihood of surgery was higher in patients who were younger at disease diagnosis; there was a 16% decrease in risk for every 10 year increase in age at incidence. A woman with RA was 1.5 times as likely to have an orthopedic surgery than was a man, a finding noted by other authors (11). The risk for joint surgery was 70% higher for those with rheumatoid factor positivity and was 2.8 times higher in patients with subcutaneous nodules than those without.…”

The Relationship Between Hand Grip and Pinch Strengths and Disease Activity, Articular Damage, Pain, and Disability in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…[27] Several studies have reported that even when adjusted for disease severity and physical function, females with RA suffer more pain, [28] and their HAQ scores are higher. [29] Björk et al [30] reported that as the severity of pain increased, the level of hand disability also increased while activities of daily living (ADL) deteriorated. Similar to the current literature, we found positive correlations between the VAS and the DHI, SOFI index, HAQ, RAAD scores, and DAS 28 in our study.…”

Polymorphisms in the interleukin-4 and IL-4 receptor genes modify risk for chronic inflammatory arthropathies in women

“…Both of these disorders are believed to display an autoimmune component, with disease manifestations being caused by a chronic destructive, inflammatory response that not only damages the synovial membrane but can also attack extra-articular tissues (Weyand et al, 1998). RA and JIA are distinct disorders even though they share many pathophysiological similarities (Grom et al, 1994).…”