A recent report suggests that some allergies and rheumatoid arthritis may be seen as counterbalancing conditions (persons with one of the conditions are less likely to suffer from the other condition than persons in the general population). Researchers at the University Hospital Utrecht, the Netherlands, studied more than 700 adults, about half of whom suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, to collect data.
It was found that participants who did not suffer from rheumatoid arthritis had about twice the risk of suffering from hay fever, compared to arthritic subjects and that hay fever sufferers were less likely than those without the condition to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Authors say study has suggested that the counterbalancing relationship between the two conditions may be due to the ratio of T1 and T2 immune cells in patients. The report is in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.