Jobs ‘could be linked to arthritis risk’
CERTAIN jobs put workers at greater risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis, possibly from workplace chemicals, a study claims.
Male electrical workers and material handlers had a two-fold increased chance of developing of the joint condition over office staff, while brickies and concrete workers had a three-fold greater risk.
In women, nurses were at a slightly higher risk, according to the findings in journal Arthritis Care and Research.
Study leader Anna Ilar, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said: “Our findings indicate work-related factors, like airborne harmful exposures, may contribute to disease development.”
She said more research was needed to pinpoint the substances involved.