Pregnancy 'leads to remission in rheumatoid arthritis'
Pregnancy leads to a normalisation of the immune system which is why remission of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is seen during that time, according to new research published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.
Scientists from the Charite-University Medicine in Berlin, University Hospital in Bern and the German Arthritis Research Centre in Berlin studied gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in six pregnant women with RA and eight healthy pregnant women.
Reduced lymphocyte and increased monocyte gene activity during pregnancy in RA patients as well as in the control group were found, and monocyte activity reduced after birth in the control group but continued in RA patients.
"Our findings indicate that innate immune functions play an important role in postpartum [the period following delivery] reactivation of arthritis," the researchers concluded.
"However, this may depend not only on the monocyte itself, but also on the recurrence of lymphocyte functions postpartum and thus on a critical interaction between both arms of the immune system."
A spokeswoman for the Arthritis Research campaign welcomed the study: "We know that RA and other forms of inflammatory arthritis often improve in pregnancy, although they frequently get worse or appear for the first time in the first three months after the birth of a baby. However, the mechanisms responsible for these effects are still poorly understood."
The charity's booklet, 'Pregnancy and Arthritis', aims to provide general information for people with arthritis who are thinking about starting a family or who have just found out they are pregnant and aims to answer some of the most commonly asked questions.
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