480 | id == 480
480 | category_id == 28
480 | category_order == 25
480 | category_name == Joint Inflammation
480 | category_color == #C47AC0
480 | slug == IRF8-rheumatoid-arthritis
480 | title == Interferons, Autoimmunity, and Rheumatoid Arthritis (IRF8)
480 | meta_description == IRF8 encodes interferon regulatory factor 8, which may cause autoimmune inflammation. Are you at risk of rheumatoid arthritis?
480 | summary == <p><strong><em>IRF8 </em>encodes interferon regulatory factor 8, which may increase autoimmune inflammation. Do you have the alleles linked to rheumatoid arthritis? Find out here.</strong></p>
480 | overall_score_text == Your Arthritic Inflammation Score (based on IRF8)
480 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/IRF8-Rheumatoid-arthritis.jpg
480 | author_id == 1
480 | author_name == Jasmine Foster
480 | author_title == BSc, BEd
480 | author_order == 36
480 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Jasmine.jpg
480 | author_intro == <p><strong>Jasmine received her BS from McGill University and her BEd from Vancouver Island University.</strong></p>    <p>Jasmine loves helping people understand their brains and bodies, a passion that grew out of her dual background in biology and education. From the chem lab to the classroom, everyone has the right to learn and make informed decisions about their health.</p>
480 | reviewer == None
480 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
480 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
480 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
480 | publish_date == 2020
480 | publish_date == 11
480 | publish_date == 16
480 | avg_rating == 5.0
480 | tags_id == 33
480 | tags_name == Autoimmunity
480 | tags_id == 95
480 | tags_name == Immune System
480 | tags_id == 24
480 | tags_name == Inflammation
480 | tags_id == 343
480 | tags_name == Interferons
480 | tags_id == 935
480 | tags_name == IRF8 Gene
480 | tags_id == 82
480 | tags_name == Rheumatoid Arthritis
480 | permissions_favorite == False
480 | permissions_rate == False
480 | content_article == <h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes interferon regulatory factor 8. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may play a role in rheumatoid arthritis by stimulating autoimmune inflammation. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by decreasing IRF8.</span></p> <h2><strong><em>IRF8</em></strong><strong> and Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/irf8/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene encodes interferon regulatory factor 8, an immune system signal that activates interferons [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3394"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interferons are named for their ability to interfere with viral replication; they are one of the lines of defense our bodies have against viruses that we have never encountered before [</span><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.03022/full"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interferons are absolutely essential to a healthy response to viral infection. However, they have also been implicated in inflammatory diseases and complications from infection [</span><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.03022/full"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variation in the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene has been associated with many inflammatory disorders, but it is of particular interest in autoimmune diseases like lupus, </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/causes-symptoms-diagnosis-risk-factors-of-multiple-sclerosis/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">multiple sclerosis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32232558/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856198/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3581947/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mice without IRF8 do not develop lupus, leading researchers to believe that IRF8 is required to develop certain autoimmune conditions [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3581947/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Higher levels of IRF8 activity (and, thus, higher levels of interferon activation) are associated with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32232558/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856198/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3581947/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene encodes interferon regulatory factor 8, which may increase inflammation and cause autoimmune disease.</span></span></p> <h2><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>IRF8</em></strong><strong> Results for Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p>*3908506886500260*</p> <p><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/irf8/"><strong>IRF8</strong></a> <a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs13330176/"><strong>rs13330176</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605761/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4467986/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/30423114"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Not associated with rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; = Associated with increased rates of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele may increase IRF8 production, leading to autoimmune inflammation [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32232558/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856198/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3581947/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p>*3819884310970760*</p> <h2><strong>Recommendations for Reducing Arthritic Inflammation</strong></h2> <p>*2991123759780787*</p> <h3><strong>Sun Exposure &amp; Vitamin D</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">People with certain </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants are more likely to develop autoimmune disorders if they live further away from the equator, where there is less direct </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sunlight</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Some research suggests that </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/35proven-health-benefits-vitamin-d-part-1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">vitamin D</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> decreases the expression of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, leading to lower autoimmune disease risk. Thus, it is especially important to get enough vitamin D (either from sunlight or supplements) if you have detrimental </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variants [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30285234/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vitamin D deficiency is also more common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis than in the general population [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3539179/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A study of nurses found that those with greater exposure to UVB rays from the </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sun</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> had the lowest rates of rheumatoid arthritis. Another study found that people who live further from the equator (who are likely to be exposed to less </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sunlight</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on average) are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3678095/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2920915/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to multiple studies, people with a higher intake of vitamin D appear less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14730601/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466211/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vitamin D decreases the expression of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and people with detrimental </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF8 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">variants are more likely to develop autoimmune disorders if they don&rsquo;t get enough vitamin D through sunlight.</span></span></p>
480 | content_snp_table_3908506886500260_key == 3908506886500260
480 | content_snp_table_3908506886500260_blur == True
480 | content_snp_table_3908506886500260_hidden == False
480 | content_learn_more_3819884310970760_key == 3819884310970760
480 | content_learn_more_3819884310970760_blur == True
480 | content_learn_more_3819884310970760_hidden == False
480 | content_learn_more_3819884310970760_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your IRF8 gene is somewhat associated with autoimmune inflammation. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of rheumatoid arthritis; it’s just one gene related to it. Sun exposure or supplemental vitamin D may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
480 | content_recommendation_2991123759780787_key == 2991123759780787
480 | content_recommendation_2991123759780787_blur == True
480 | content_recommendation_2991123759780787_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs13330176
rsStatus = rs13330176,,chr16,85985481,T,A,C,G,21,15,HET
