“Let’s follow these kids over time and see if they have an increased risk of problems compared to those that weren’t premature,” he says. “That is the more important study.”
Ms. Rom says her research team is working on a follow-up study examining morbidity among the same cohort of children, “since little is known about the impact of maternal RA on long-term health among the children.”
ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE
“We still need to investigate whether children of mothers with RA are at increased risk of adverse health later in life,” she says. “This is only possible to examine in large-scale, epidemiological studies where children are followed for many years.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.
ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE
References
- Rom AL, Wu CS, Olsen J, et al. Fetal growth and preterm birth in children exposed to maternal or paternal rheumatoid arthritis: A nationwide cohort study. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2014 Dec;66(12):3265–3273.
- Markenson JA. Worldwide trends in the socioeconomic impact and long-term prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1991 Oct;21(2 Suppl 1):4–12.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Arthritis-related statistics. Updated March 17, 2014. www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/arthritis_related_stats.htm#1
- The American College of Rheumatology. Rheumatoid Arthritis. http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/ra.asp.
- Hazes J, Coulie P, Geenen V, et al. Rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy: Evolution of disease activity and pathophysiological considerations for drug use. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2011 Nov;50(11):1955–1968.
