Scientists at the Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit at The University of Manchester have discovered 14 new genes that can lead to rheumatoid arthritis, adding to the 32 other genes they had already identified; the team believes it has now discovered the vast majority of disease-causing genes for the condition.
Lifestyle and environmental factors, such as smoking, diet, pregnancy and infection are thought to play a role in Rheumatoid arthritis, but it is also known that a person's genetic makeup influences their susceptibility to the condition.
The latest study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, has identified genes specific to the female X-chromosome