The Occurrence of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Twins
Abstract
I Grossman, A. J. el al.: Acta Rheum. Scand. 2, 161-169, 1956. I From the Arthritis Service of New York Medical College-Metropolitan Medical Center and Bird S. Coler Memorial Hospital and Home, New York City, N. Y., U.S.A. T H E OCCURRENCE OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IN TWINS BY ARTHUR GROSSMAN, U L E I F E R J. PA L and ROBERT BATTERMAN. C. The finding of rheumatoid arthritis in twins is relatively rare. To the four cases reported in the literature (Berglund 1940, Edstrom 1941) we can present an additional case. The study of genetics of rheumatoid arthritis supports the concept that this disease has a high familial incidence (Stecher et al. 1953, Barter 1952, Hangarter 1939, Steinbrocker 1941, Hollander 1949, Zellner 1930, Short et al. 1952, Davidson 1952, Margolis 1941, Pottenger 1938). The likelihood of obtaining a positive family history of rheumatoid arthritis is greater in a series of patients with rheumatoid arthritis than in a similar group of non-arthritic individuals (Table 1). Holsti & Huuskonen (1938) report on the family of a woman with rheumatoid arthritis. She had 13 children; 4 out of 10 daughters and 1 out of 3 sons developed rheumatoid arthritis. Short