Engine oil can give you arthritis station attendants, mechanics, car enthusiasts beware! One study suggests that exposure to motor oil and similar substances may increase your chances of getting arthritis.
This discovery has just begun Swedish researchers said mineral oils such as oils or hydraulic motor can give you a 30 percent risk of developing certain forms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute said that these oils appear to contain certain molecules that trigger development of rheumatoid arthritis. Their study was published in "Arthritis Research and Therapy.
Earlier tests on rats showed a similar trend. To confirm this, the researchers studied patients with rheumatoid arthritis between 1996 and 2003.
"Each patient provided details of their exposure to different types of mineral oils, including asphalt and motor oil. The results suggest that exposure to hydraulic or motor oil was associated with a risk increases from two forms of rheumatoid arthritis, "reported BBC News.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than two million American adults. It is the most crippling arthritis that causes joints to become painful and deformed, making simple activities like walking or opening a jar difficult.
"Unlike osteoarthritis, which results from wear and tear on your joints, rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease. The exact cause of RA is unknown but is believed to be the body's immune system attacks the tissue that lines your joints ( synovium), "explained the Mayo Clinic.
"Rheumatoid arthritis is two to three times more common in women than in men, and strikes between the ages of 20 and 50. But RA can also affect younger children and adults over 50 years," Has added.
The risk factors for RA include age, female sex, smoking and exposure to an infection that can cause disease in susceptible individuals.
Although experts consider the findings of Swedish researchers rather odd, they claim that it deserves serious attention, especially since it was published in a prestigious medical journal.
"There are many so-called environmental risk factors such as exposure to silica that triggers RA in some people - combined with a genetic predisposition, they said.
Although there are many medications to relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and slow its progression, they have serious side effects such as bleeding in the stomach, indigestion, hypertension, and kidney liver. Others have been associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
An exception is Flexcerin, a natural product without a prescription which reduces pain and inflammation, restores and rebuilds healthy joints and improves joint mobility and flexibility. For more details, see http://www.flexcerin.com.
Posted on February 8, 2010.
