Certain upper respiratory tract diseases, such as sinusitis and pharyngitis, are associated with up to a 2.5-fold greater risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, new research shows.

US clinicians say their findings add to a growing body of evidence implicating the oral and respiratory mucosa in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis.

“Although these novel findings will require replication, they suggest that interventions to reduce respiratory tract diseases, including masking, handwashing, and vaccination, could affect RA risk,” they wrote in the Journal of Rheumatology.

In their case-control study, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-led team in Boston explored this association using data from 741 patients with newly diagnosed RA and some 2200 age- and sex-match controls (both groups median age 55; 76% women).