Rheumatoid arthritis more severe in women than men

Jyvaskyla, Finland, January 15: According to a new study, not only is rheumatoid arthritis more common in women than men, it may also be relatively more painful for them.

Dr Tuulikki Sokka, a consultant in rheumatology at the Jyvaskyla Central Hospital in Finland, leader of the research, explained the possible association between gender, disease treatment and clinical characteristics.
She analyzed data from 6,000 rheumatoid arthritis patients in 25 countries, and discovered that though men and women may sometimes have the same level of the disease, women experience more severe symptoms.

Dr Sokka said "The possible influence of gender and gender-related variables on the symptoms, severity, and prognosisdefine of rheumatoid arthritis has been of considerable interest for some time. Generally, women report more severe symptoms, greater disability, and often have higher work disability rates than men."

During the course of the study, the patients completed surveys about their pain, fatigue, swollen joints, and treatment procedure. The x-rays showed the same level of rheumatoid arthritis, but the joint tenderness in women appeared more severe. There were no major gender differences in the treatment process. However only 17 percent of the women felt a reduction for their rheumatoid arthritis as opposed to 30percent of the men.

Dr Sokka further added, “The problem is that the only real measure we have for rheumatoid arthritis is the X-ray, which only measures damage. This is not a very valuable tool in the everyday clinic and so we need to rely on what patients tell us. We found that women tell us they have more severe symptoms. We believe this relates to how strong women are. It's obvious that men are stronger with a higher muscle mass.”

She also observed that the difference was more pronounced in older women, who found it difficult to cope with routine chores. “Our findings were particularly obvious in older women, who are losing their muscle mass little by little every year. They have the same level of disease as men but give up everyday tasks to their husbands or sons or someone who is stronger."

Dr Sokka and her team feel that perhaps women lack body strength and hence are more likely to feel pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis than men.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, which progresses gradually. It affects a large section of the adult population. It is a painful ailment, causing swelling and damage to bones and joints, sometimes leading to severe disability. Arthritis mainly affects hands, feet and wrists.

The research was published in the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy.