Rheumatology Commons^™

Bridging The Gap: Early Recognition And Interim Management Of Silica-Associated Rheumatoid Arthritis In Resource-Limited Primary Care Settings, Sukhneet Bhullar, Howard J. Tan, Alaa Baqer, Cathlen Delva

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Peripheral Blood Biomarkers For Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease, Brent A. Luedders

Theses & Dissertations

Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is a common extra-articular complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Measuring peripheral blood biomarkers represents an appealing strategy to inform the screening and prediction of RA-ILD. In these studies, I aimed to further characterize the associations of peripheral blood biomarkers with prevalent and incident RA-ILD. First, I evaluated the associations of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) with RA-ILD among a multicenter cohort of RA U.S. Veteran patients (n = 2,312). Higher concentrations of MMP-7 and MMP-9 were independently associated with both prevalent and incident RA-ILD, including a nearly four-fold increased odds of prevalent RA-ILD (adjusted odds ratio …

Trends In The Use Of Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis And Recently Diagnosed Colorectal, Lung, Or Prostate Cancer, Maria E Suarez-Almazor, Juan I Ruiz, Xiudong Lei, Chi-Fang Wu, Hui Zhao, Suja S Rajan, Sharon H Giordano

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD) are often discontinued when a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is diagnosed with cancer. Our aim was to determine trends in bDMARD utilization in patients with RA and recently diagnosed cancer.

METHOD: We examined two national claims databases to identify adults with RA and recently diagnosed colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer (Optum's de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database 2008-2022, and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) Medicare-linked 2008-2017). We determined time trends in bDMARD and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) prescriptions during the first 3 years after cancer with Cochram-Armitage tests and multivariable logistic …

Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Is Associated With Frailty In Veterans, Courtney N. Loecker

Theses & Dissertations

Frailty, a physiologic vulnerability to everyday stressors, affects approximately 30% of the 1.3 million Americans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and is associated with increased risk for adverse health outcomes. Active RA manifests as inflammation, pain, and joint damage leading to functional impairments and morbidity which cumulatively influences frailty. However, the relationship between RA disease activity and frailty is incompletely understood.

This study evaluated the relationship of RA disease activity and frailty at baseline and over up to five years in Veterans. A cohort study was performed using data from the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis registry. RA disease activity was measured …

Clinical Metabolomics Investigation Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Receiving Ayurvedic Whole System Intervention, Sanjeev Rastogi, Ankita Verma, Rimjhim Trivedi, Anuj Shukla, Dinesh Kumar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Arthritis is a common clinical condition seen in Ayurveda clinics. Clinical trials have reported Ayurvedic interventions to be of benefits in many arthritic conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). No mechanistic details however are available about how such interventions on their own or as a combination of whole system Ayurveda might be working.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to evaluate simultaneously the clinical outcome of Ayurveda whole system (AWS) intervention in RA patients and identifying the serum metabolic signatures which could be useful for diagnosing the disease and monitoring treatment response.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: RA patients (n = 37) simultaneously diagnosed …

Serum Antibodies To Periodontal Pathogens And Anti-Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde: Potential Role In The Interrelationship Between The Periodontium And Rheumatoid Arthritis, Joyce Lee

Theses & Dissertations

Objectives: Study 1 – To quantify associations between anti-Porphyromonas gingivalis, anti-Prevotella intermedia, and anti-Fusobacterium nucleatum serum antibody concentrations and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Study 2 – To test if periodontal clinical measures, alveolar bone loss (ABL), and the aforementioned serum anti-bacterial antibody concentrations are associated with anti-malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA) serum antibody concentrations.

Methods: Study 1 – Serum samples pre- and post- RA diagnosis (n=214 cases, 210 matched controls) from the U.S. Department of Defense Serum Repository were utilized to compare timing of elevations of anti-bacterial antibody concentrations relative to RA diagnosis and associations …

Associations Of Galectin-3 Levels With Measures Of Vascular Disease In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Amanda Nussdorf, Elizabeth Park, Isabelle Amigues, Laura Geraldino-Pardilla, Sabahat Bokhari, Jon T. Giles, Joan M. Bathon

Division of Rheumatology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Galectin-3 is a beta-galactoside-binding lectin and is a marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population. It may also play a role in joint inflammation. We asked whether serum galectin-3 is a useful marker of subclinical vascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS: RA patients without clinical CVD underwent assessment of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, aortic inflammation (using 18Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission-computed tomography [FDG PET/CT]), and myocardial flow reserve (MFR). Aorta FDG uptake was measured as standardized uptake values (SUV). Generalized linear models were constructed to explore the associations of galectin-3 levels with CAC score, aortic …

Factors Influencing Prescribing The First Add-On Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs In Patients Initiating Methotrexate For Rheumatoid Arthritis, Yinan Huang, Satabdi Chatterjee, Sandeep K Agarwal, Hua Chen, Michael L Johnson, Rajender R Aparasu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Advances in Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) have expanded the treatment landscape for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Guidelines recommend adding either conventional synthetic (cs), biologic (b), or targeted synthetic (ts) DMARDs to methotrexate (MTX) for managing RA. Limited evidence exists regarding the factors that contribute to adding a DMARD agent to the MTX regimen. This study examined the factors associated with adding the first DMARD in RA patients initiating MTX.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study utilized the MarketScan data (2012-2014) involving adults (aged ≥18) with RA initiating an MTX (index date) between Jul 1, 2012 and Dec 30, 2013, and with …

Treatment Outcomes For Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: A Real-World, Multisite Study Of The Impact Of Immunosuppression On Pulmonary Function Trajectory, Scott M Matson, Misbah Baqir, Teng Moua, Michael Marll, Jessica Kent, Nicholas S Iannazzo, Ryan D Boente, John M Donatelli, Junqiang Dai, Francisco J Diaz, M Kristen Demoruelle, Mark B Hamblin, Susan K Mathai, Jay H Ryu, Kristen Pope, Christopher M Walker, Joyce S Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) is common in patients with RA and leads to significant morbidity and mortality. No randomized, placebo-controlled data are available that support the role of immunosuppression to treat RA-associated ILD, despite being widely used in clinical practice.

RESEARCH QUESTION: How does immunosuppression impact pulmonary function trajectory in a multisite retrospective cohort of patients with RA-associated ILD?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients with RA who started treatment for ILD with mycophenolate, azathioprine, or rituximab were identified retrospectively from five ILD centers. Change in lung function before and after treatment was analyzed using a linear …

Rheumatoid Vasculitis Presenting With Incidental Renal Infarcts: Case Report And Literature Review, Fatima Halilu, Howard Hauptman

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Rheumatoid vasculitis is a rare and late complication of rheumatoid arthritis, affecting small to medium sized vessels. Inflammation in the vessel wall produces an occlusive vasculopathy with downstream infarction. We present the case of a 70-year-old female with long standing stable RA status post recent COVID-19 vaccination admitted with community acquired Legionnaires disease found to have an incidental renal infarct on chest imaging without a clear etiology. She improved from a respiratory standpoint but then had a fever spike with repeat imaging showing a second renal infarct and CT angiography showing extensive beading with aneurysmal dilation in the bilateral hepatic …

The Ra-Be-Real Multinational, Prospective, Observational Study In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Baricitinib, Targeted Synthetic, Or Biologic Disease-Modifying Therapies: A 6-Month Interim Analysis, Rieke Alten, Gerd R Burmester, Marco Matucci-Cerinic, Jean-Hugues Salmon, Pedro Lopez-Romero, Walid Fakhouri, Inmaculada De La Torre, Liliana Zaremba-Pechmann, Thorsten Holzkämper, Bruno Fautrel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: RA-BE-REAL has the overall aim of defining a profile of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) starting baricitinib or any other targeted synthetic (ts) or any biologic (b) disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) for the first time, and the primary objective of estimating time until discontinuation from any cause (excluding sustained response) of the initial treatment.

METHODS: RA-BE-REAL is an ongoing, prospective, observational, 36-month study in patients with RA initiating treatment with baricitinib (cohort A) or any other tsDMARD or any bDMARD (cohort B) for the first time. The primary objective is to assess the time until treatment discontinuation from any …

High-Frequency Ultrasound In Patients With Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis, Junkui Wang, Miao Wang, Qinghua Qi, Zhibin Wu, Jianguo Wen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study aimed to investigate the value of high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) in differentiation of the seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (SNRA) and osteoarthritis (OA) and in the diagnosis of SNRA. 83 patients diagnosed with SNRA (SNRA group) and 40 diagnosed with OA (OA group) who received HFUS were retrospectively analyzed. The grayscale (GS) scores, power Doppler (PD) scores, and bone erosion (BE)scores were recorded, and added up to calculate the total scores of US variables. The correlations of the total scores of US variables with the 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed. The …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating The Effects Of Social Networking On Chronic Disease Management In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Maria A Lopez-Olivo, Jessica T Foreman, Cheuk Leung, Heather Y Lin, Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, Catherine Hofstetter, Jude K A Des Bordes, Anne Lyddiatt, Amye Leong, Irmgard U Willcockson, Susan K Peterson, Maria E Suarez-Almazor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Social networking has been shown to improve health outcomes in certain patient populations. While patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increasingly use social networking to communicate with peers, the effects of these interactions are largely unknown.

METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, we compared RA patients who participated in a social networking group moderated by peer leaders and who had access to a static website offering RA materials with a control group, who only had access to the website. The primary outcomes were patients' RA knowledge, self-efficacy and empowerment. Secondary outcomes included participation in desired health behaviors, and satisfaction with …

Enhancing Physician Perspectives Of Skilled Occupational Therapy Services For Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Valerie S. Trinidad

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This Capstone Project, with a focus in research, sought to identify a relationship between self-reported functional performance and participation restriction as described by satisfaction with one’s execution or participation in a described occupation. A correlational study design was employed under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Decker, EdD, OTD, OTR/L who oversaw all IRB processes, documentation, study development and deployment, as well as co-authored and provided mentorship for creation of a publishable manuscript of this project. The established Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and the newer Keele Assessment of Participation (KAP) were the two outcome measures of focus for surveying …

At-Home Aerobic Exercise Improves Functional Ability Of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis With Limited Exercise Options, Daniel Harris

Clinical Research in Practice: The Journal of Team Hippocrates

A clinical decision report using

Neuberger GB, Aaronson LS, Gajewski B, et al. Predictors of exercise and effects of exercise on symptoms, function, aerobic fitness, and disease outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57(6):943-952. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.22903

and its application for a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

The Efficacy Of Sequential Biologic Agents In Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis After Failure Of Initial Dmard And Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy, Antonio Giovanni Versace, Caterina Oriana Aragona, Daniela La Rosa, Marianna Chiappalone, Maria Concetta Tringali, Alberta De Gaetano, Charles Frederick Moore Jr., Donatella Sangari, William Neal Roberts, Gianluca Bagnato

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction/Objective: The efficacy of biologic therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been well-established but, in practice, a quarter of patients will either not respond to the first biologic agent or will suffer an adverse event requiring a switch to a different drug. While clinical guidelines exist to help guide therapy and previous studies have examined sequential use of anti-TNF agents, there is little data to inform a multiple switch strategy. Our aim was to measure the efficacy of multiple switches of biologic in severe refractory RA. Methods: We enrolled 111 patients whose therapy with one anti-TNF agent …

Outcomes Of Covid-19 In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Multicenter Research Network Study In The United States., Rahul Raiker, Charles Deyoung, Haig Pakhchanian, Sakir Ahmed, Chengappa Kavadichanda, Latika Gupta, Sinan Kardeş

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

OBJECTIVES: To investigate outcomes of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as compared to the general population. Additionally, outcomes were explored among RA patients stratified by sex, race, and medications use through sub-cohort analyses.

METHODS: This comparative cohort study used a US multicenter research network (TriNetX) to extract data on all adult RA patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19, and adults without RA who were diagnosed with COVID-19 (comparative cohort) anytime from January 20, 2020 to April 11, 2021. COVID-19 outcomes were assessed within 30 days after its diagnosis. Baseline characteristics that included demographics and comorbidities were …

Duration Of Rheumatoid Arthritis And The Risk Of Developing Interstitial Lung Disease, Michael P. Mohning, Isabelle Amigues, M. Kristen Demoruelle, Evans R. Fernández Pérez, Tristan J. Huie, Rebecca K. Keith, Amy L. Olson, Zulma X. Yunt, Jonathan H. Chung, Stephen B. Hobbs, Jeffrey J. Swigris, Joshua J. Solomon

Radiology Faculty Publications

Age of ILD onset is similar in patients with RA-UIP and RA-NSIP but duration of RA before ILD onset differs.

Enhancing The Identification Of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Lung Disease, Bryant England

Theses & Dissertations

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that predisposes afflicted individuals to reduced quality of life, physical disability, and premature mortality. While joint involvement is the primary manifestation of RA, extra-articular features including lung disease are responsible for a significant portion of the excess mortality. In this dissertation I demonstrate the contribution of chronic lung diseases to premature mortality in RA, contrasting with the more widely recognized comorbidity in RA of cardiovascular disease. Then, I establish that a novel serum biomarker, anti-malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde adduct (MAA) antibody, is associated with the presence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA subjects. Further …

Efficacy And Safety Of Intravenous Golimumab Plus Methotrexate In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Aged < 65 Years And Those ≥ 65 Years Of Age., John Tesser, Shelly Kafka, Raphael J. Dehoratius, Stephen Xu, Elizabeth C Hsia, Anthony Turkiewicz

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous golimumab + methotrexate (MTX) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) aged < 65 years and those ≥ 65 years who were enrolled in the GO-FURTHER study.

METHODS: In the phase III, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled GO-FURTHER trial, patients with active RA were randomized to intravenous (IV) golimumab 2 mg/kg + MTX or placebo + MTX at weeks 0 and 4, then every 8 weeks thereafter (with crossover to golimumab at week 16 [early escape] or week 24 [per-protocol]). The final golimumab infusion was at week 100. Assessments included American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20/50/70 response criteria. Efficacy and adverse events (AEs) were monitored through 2 years. …

Comparative Analysis Of Us Real-World Dosing Patterns And Direct Infusion-Related Costs For Matched Cohorts Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated With Infliximab Or Intravenous Golimumab., Lorie A. Ellis, Elisabetta Malangone-Monaco, Helen Varker, Diana Stetsovsky, Maureen Kubacki, Raphael J. Dehoratius, Shelly Kafka

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to evaluate and compare treatment patterns and infusion-related health care resource expenditures for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients initiating golimumab for intravenous use (GLM-IV) and infliximab (IFX) therapy and to assess cost implications from the commercial perspective.

Methods: Adult RA patients with a new episode of GLM-IV or IFX treatment between January 1, 2014 and March 31, 2016 were identified from MarketScan databases and evaluated for maintenance infusion intervals and related costs of treatment. IFX and GLM-IV patients were matched 1:1 on index medication treatment duration, gender, payer type, prior biologic use, and post-index …

Predicting Adherence To Therapy In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis Or Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Large Cross-Sectional Study., Josef S Smolen, Dafna Gladman, H Patrick Mcneil, Philip J Mease, Joachim Sieper, Maja Hojnik, Pascal Nurwakagari, John Weinman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Objective: This analysis explored the association of treatment adherence with beliefs about medication, patient demographic and disease characteristics and medication types in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) to develop adherence prediction models.

Methods: The population was a subset from ALIGN, a multicountry, cross-sectional, self-administered survey study in adult patients (n=7328) with six immune-mediated inflammatory diseases who were routinely receiving systemic therapy. Instruments included Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) and 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-4

Results: A total of 3390 rheumatological patients were analysed (RA, n=1943; PsA, n=635; AS, n=812). Based on the strongest significant …

The Importance Of Early Arthritis In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Georgiana Iftimie, Ana Maria Alexandra Stanescu, Mihaela A. Iancu, Anca Pantea Stoian, Razvan Hainarosie, Bogdan Socea, Gheorghita Isvoranu, Dragos Marcu, Tiberiu P. Neagu, Camelia C. Diaconu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disorder that manifests predominantly in the synovial joint, where it causes a chronic inflammatory process, leading to early osteoarticular destructions. These destructions are progressive and irreversible, generating a significant functional deficiency. During the last years, the diagnostic approach of RA has focused on early arthritis. Early arthritis can develop into established RA or another established arthropathy, like systemic lupus erythematosus or psoriatic arthritis. It can have a spontaneous resolution or may remain undifferentiated for indefinite periods of time.

The management of early arthritis has changed considerably in the past few years, under the …

Non-Insidious Large Joint Manifestation Of Severe Cachectic Rheumatoid Arthritis., Simcha Weissman, Mira Alsheikh, Khalil Kamar, Joshua Breslin, Anthony Khabut, Mohammad G Maruf

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder in which constitutional symptoms typically occur before joint swelling becomes a true clinical phenomenon. Weight loss, although common, is generally mild in nature and occurs after long standing inflammation. While large joints do become inflamed, RA has a much stronger predilection for the small joints. Our case is a rarity in the fact that there was initial large joint swelling without long standing inflammation. Additionally, the weight loss was cachectic in nature and extreme. Furthermore, while extra-articular manifestations do commonly occur, spontaneous pneumothorax is certainly atypical. The content of this manuscript serves to …

Factors Associated With Sexual Dysfunction In Taiwanese Females With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Miao-Chiu Lin, Ming-Chi Lu, Hanoch Livneh, Ning-Sheng Lai, How-Ran Guo, Tzung-Yi Tsai

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may experience sexual dysfunction because of symptoms or adverse effects from treatments. Data on female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in Asian females with RA issue are limited. This study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with FSD in Taiwanese patients with RA.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling method to recruit 195 females with RA from a single hospital in southern Taiwan. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained by review of medical records and a structured questionnaire. The Chinese version of the Female Sexual Function Index and the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire were …

Are Antibiotics, Other Than Roxithromycin, An Effective Way To Manage Joint Pain In Rheumatoid Arthritis?, Kelly A. Hoffman

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine “Are antibiotics, other than roxithromycin, an effective way to manage joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three double-blind, randomized-controlled studies published in English between 2001-2007.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials published between 2001 and 2007 were found using PubMed/MEDLINE and Cochrane databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Clinical outcome for all three studies used American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, which assesses joints for swelling and tenderness.

RESULTS: In the Odell et al.1 study, at 24 months 28 participants did meet the ACR50 …

Prevalence Of Rheumatoid Arthritis In Low-And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review And Analysis, Igor Rudan, Simrita Sidhu, Angeliki Papana, Shi–Jiao Meng, Yu Xin-Wei, Wei Wang, Ruth M. Campbell–Page, Alessandro Rhyll Demaio, Harish Nair, Devi Sridhar, Evropi Theodoratou, Ben Dowman, Davies Adeloye, Azeem Majeed, Josip Car, Harry Campbell, Wei Wang, Kit Yee Chan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small joints of the body. It is one of the leading causes of chronic morbidity in high–income countries, but little is known about the burden of this disease in low– and middle–income countries (LMIC).

Methods: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of RA in six of the World Health Organization's (WHO) regions that harbour LMIC by identifying all relevant studies in those regions. To accomplish this aim various bibliographic databases were searched: PubMed, EMBASE, Global Health, LILACS and the Chinese databases CNKI and WanFang. Studies …

Most Common Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Rheumatoid Arthritis In Persons Of European Ancestry Confer Risk Of Rheumatoid Arthritis In African Americans, Laura B. Hughes, Richard J. Reynolds, Elizabeth E. Brown, James M. Kelley, Brian Thomson, Doyt L. Conn, Beth L. Jonas, Andrew O. Westfall, Miguel A. Padilla, Leigh F. Callahan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective. Large-scale genetic association studies have identified >20 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk alleles among individuals of European ancestry. The influence of these risk alleles has not been comprehensively studied in African Americans. We therefore sought to examine whether these validated RA risk alleles are associated with RA risk in an African American population.

Methods. Twenty-seven candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 556 autoantibody-positive African Americans with RA and 791 healthy African American control subjects. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for each SNP were compared with previously published ORs for RA patients of European ancestry. We …