[Etiologic possibilities for the development of rheumatic diseases through environmental mechanisms]

Living beings and the environment that supports them have a mutual interdependence and therefore any event that occurs within an ecosystem affects all parts. The influence that the environment has on subjects that maydevelop an illness has been amply recognized. For some autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the possibility of its development under ultraviolet light and prolonged exposure to sunlight has been recognized. Microorganisms may activate other illnesses such as reactive arthritis. Substances such as alfalfa are also able to unleash disease activity. Laboratory workers who manipulate sera of patients with autoimmune rheumatic disorders develop antibodies to the sera that they are working with. It is thus that environmental sciences and focused research allow the development of a new approach to the study of possible pathogenic mechanisms in the appearance of certain rheumatic disorders. This article reviews the main existing evidence and proposes certain hypotheses derived from it.