Recent research on rheumatoid arthritis has suggested that low levels of testosterone in men could mean that they have a greater risk of developing this chronic autoimmune disease later in life. These findings have been published in the latest issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

These latest findings are also based on studies conducted during the Swedish Malmo Preventive Medicine Program (MPMP). Research began back in 1974, and scientists were tasked with monitoring 33,000 participants who were born between 1921 and 1949.

Clinical investigators have found that sex hormones play a role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. In the past, people living with this inflammatory medical condition were more likely to have low levels of testosterone in their blood. On the other hand, investigators are still not sure whether this contributes to the onset of RA or is just a byproduct of the disease.

Blood Samples and Surveys€¦.

As part of this rheumatoid arthritis clinical trial, all of the participants had to undergo several tests, including having their blood taken after fasting overnight. The research team also conducted surveys on health factors and lifestyle. With the help of regional and national databases, the team was able to identify all of the participants who were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis leading up to December 2004.

Blood samples were available for 104 men who had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and another 174 men in the same age range who were not diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis during the study period. Researchers found that there was an average of 13 years between when these participants gave their blood sample and when they received their diagnosis (this included some participants who were diagnosed within one year and some that took 28 years).

The Rheumatoid Factor in Men

The rheumatoid factor is an antibody that can help to predict a patient's disease severity, and it can be used as a method of determining a level of the condition. The rheumatoid factor was observed at the diagnosis for 83 of these male participants (nearly 73 percent of the subjects tested positive for it). The rest of the men diagnosed with RA tested negative for the rheumatoid factor.

When accounting for other RA risk factors, including smoking and body mass index, investigators discovered that men with lower levels of testosterone in their blood were more likely to develop this inflammatory autoimmune disease. This finding proved to be statistically significant for the men who had tested negative for the rheumatoid factor at the time that they were diagnosed.

The Effect of Testosterone on RA Risk

In addition, these men had relatively high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone - this is a chemical which influences reproduction and sexual maturity - prior to being diagnosed with this disease. These researchers theorize that this was the result of reduced testosterone production.

Based on these outcomes, researchers are suggesting that the hormonal alterations may come right before the onset of rheumatoid arthritis and have an immediate impact on disease severity. This research also supports prior studies that suggested that testosterone could hinder a person's immune system. These investigators have concluded that this disease is more likely to go into remission during an initial stage in men.