What epidemiology has told us about risk factors and aetiopathogenesis in rheumatic diseases

This article will review how epidemiological studies have advanced our knowledge of both genetic and environmental risk factors for rheumatic diseases over the past decade. The major rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, osteoarthritis, gout, and fibromyalgia, and chronic widespread pain, will be covered. Advances discussed will include how a number of large prospective studies have improved our knowledge of risk factors, including diet, obesity, hormones, and smoking. The change from small-scale association studies to genome-wide association studies using gene chips to reveal new genetic risk factors will also be reviewed.