Alcohol verlaagt mogelijk ACPA-positieve reuma

Research Question:
Drinking alcohol reduces the chance of getting rheumatism?

Study Design:
The meta-analysis included 6 case-control studies (3,564 people with rheumatism and 8477 without rheumatism) and 3 cohort studies (84421 participants, of which 444 with rheumatism).

Results and conclusions:

The meta-analysis showed that people who drank alcohol, ran significant 48% [95% CI = 0.36-0.76] ACPA-less chance of getting positive rheumatism than people who drank no alcohol. Significant is, there is a link at 95% reliability.

The meta-analysis showed that people who drank alcohol, ran non-significant 26% [95% CI = 0.53-0.1.05] ACPA-less chance of getting negative rheumatism than people who drank no alcohol. Non-significant is, there is no link with 95% reliability.

The subgroup analysis showed a significant, decreased risk in case-control studies see but not in cohort studies.

On the basis of the found results the researchers concluded that drinking alcohol may protect against getting ACPA-positive rheumatism. Possible because there is no significant reduced risk was found in cohort studies.

Original title:
The protective effect of alcohol on developing rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Scott IC, Tan R, [...], Cope AP.

Link:
http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/01/03/rheumatology.kes376.short

Additional information about El Mondo:
To get a reliable picture to the significant risk found in case-control studies also be found in cohort studies. In cohort studies are made less errors than in case-control studies and the less mistakes are, the more reliable the conclusions are.
Read more about meta-analysis, case-control and cohort studies.

When someone rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatism), there are 2 types of detectable antibodies in the blood:

  • Rheumatoid Factors (RF)
  • Citrullinated proteins (ACPA)

About 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis has RF (rheumatoid factor) or ACPA in the blood.