Smoking increases rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility in individuals carrying the HLA–DRB1 shared epitope, regardless of rheumatoid factor or anti–cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody status

The HLA–DRB1 shared epitope alleles are

The HLA–DRB1 shared epitope alleles are primarily a risk factor for anti–cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies and are not an independent risk factor for development of rheumatoid arthritis

✍ Annette H. M. van der Helm-van Mil; Kirsten N. Verpoort; Ferdinand C. Breedveld; 📂 Article 📅 2006 🏛 John Wiley and Sons 🌐 English ⚖ 59 KB 👁 2 views

## Abstract ## Objective The shared epitope (SE)–containing HLA–DRB1 alleles represent the most significant genetic risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent studies indicate that the SE alleles are associated with only RA that is characterized by the presence of anti–cyclic citrullinated