503 | id == 503
503 | category_id == 28
503 | category_order == 25
503 | category_name == Joint Inflammation
503 | category_color == #C47AC0
503 | slug == HLA-rheumatoid-arthritis
503 | title == Major Autoimmunity Genes in Rheumatoid Arthritis (HLA)
503 | meta_description == The HLA genes play a major role in autoimmunity. Learn about their link with rheumatoid arthritis and get gene-based tips.
503 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong><em>HLA</em> genes play a major role in autoimmunity. This post reveals their link with rheumatoid arthritis and provides gene-based recommendations.</strong></p>
503 | overall_score_text == Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Score (based on HLA genes)
503 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/HLA-DQA1-HLA-DRA-Rheumatoid-arthritis.jpg
503 | author_id == 9
503 | author_name == Aleksa Ristic
503 | author_title == MS (Pharmacy)
503 | author_order == 45
503 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Aleksa.jpg
503 | author_intro == <p><strong>Aleksa received his MS in Pharmacy from the University of Belgrade, his master thesis focusing on protein sources in plant-based diets.</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>    <p>Aleksa is passionate about herbal pharmacy, nutrition, and functional medicine. He found a way to merge his two biggest passions&mdash;writing and health&mdash;and use them for noble purposes. His mission is to bridge the gap between science and everyday life, helping readers improve their health and feel better.</p>
503 | reviewer == None
503 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
503 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
503 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
503 | publish_date == 2020
503 | publish_date == 11
503 | publish_date == 24
503 | avg_rating == 5.0
503 | tags_id == 33
503 | tags_name == Autoimmunity
503 | tags_id == 403
503 | tags_name == HLA-DQA1 gene
503 | tags_id == 974
503 | tags_name == HLA-DRA
503 | tags_id == 72
503 | tags_name == HLA Genes
503 | tags_id == 82
503 | tags_name == Rheumatoid Arthritis
503 | permissions_favorite == False
503 | permissions_rate == False
503 | content_article == <h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><strong>The HLA genes make proteins on white blood cells. Their excess activity may stimulate the immune cells to attack joint cartilage and cause inflammation.<br /><br /></strong><strong>Specific gene variants may increase HLA activity. They&rsquo;ve been associated with higher odds of rheumatoid arthritis.<br /><br /></strong><strong>Simple lifestyle and dietary changes may improve your joint health by targeting HLA-DOB variants.</strong></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>The Role of HLA Genes in Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, including </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/hla-dqa1/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">HLA-DQA1</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/hla-dra/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">HLA-DRA</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, make proteins on </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/how-to-increase-and-decrease-white-blood-cells/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">white blood cells</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. HLA proteins flag harmful external components and stimulate the immune response against them [</span><a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/HLA-B"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In people with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, HLA proteins may have increased activity or impaired structure. These changes cause them to target the body&rsquo;s own components, such as joint cartilage, and trigger </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/natural-ways-lower-inflammation/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">inflammation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474884/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Specific HLA gene variants correlate with higher odds of rheumatoid arthritis, especially in smokers [</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/20453842"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/23143596"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/26272072"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">HLA genes play a role in countless other health conditions, including:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/hla-autoimmunity-diabetes-408/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Diabetes</span></a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/hla-allergies-453/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Allergies</span></a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/ibd-ulcerative-colitis-crohn-genetics-lifestyle-stress-infections/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IBD</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">&nbsp;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfdecode.com/blog/article/hla-dqa1-b1-gluten-celiac-disease-169/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Celiac disease</span></a></li> </ul> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">HLA genes make proteins that stimulate the immune response against foreign substances. Increased HLA activity can contribute to autoimmune joint inflammation.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Your HLA Results for Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p>*3055199866629943*</p> <p><strong>Primary SNPs:</strong></p> <p><strong>HLA-DQA1 </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs660895/"><strong>rs660895</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://europepmc.org/article/med/20453842"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><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;G&rsquo; - associated with higher odds of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; - not associated with rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele likely increases HLA-DQA1 activity.</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>HLA-DQA1 </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs9268557/"><strong>rs9268557</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/20453842"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/26272072"><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;C&rsquo; - associated with higher odds of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <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;">The &lsquo;C&rsquo; allele likely increases HLA-DQA1 activity.</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>HLA-DRA </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs9268839/"><strong>rs9268839</strong></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><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><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;G&rsquo; - associated with higher odds of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; - not associated with rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele likely increases HLA-DRA activity.</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Other Important SNP:</strong></p> <p><strong>HLA-DRA </strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs3129890/"><strong>rs3129890</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/26272072"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/23143596"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826379/"><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; - associated with relatively higher odds of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; - associated with lower odds of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;C&rsquo; allele likely reduces HLA-DRA activity.</span></li> </ul> <p>*7603829496491912*</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Recommendations to Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p>*2978998392824117*</p> <h3><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4><strong>Avoid Cigarette Smoke</strong></h4> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The link between HLA variants and rheumatoid arthritis is more pronounced in smokers [</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/20453842"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/23143596"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/26272072"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smoking is one of the strongest environmental risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis. In one study, 88% of smokers tested positive for </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/rheumatoid-factor/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rheumatoid factor</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 10 years [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898190/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9833699"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other studies have reported up to 4 times higher odds of having elevated rheumatoid factor in smokers [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1004225/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16403829"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9306868"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743800"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><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;">Cigarette smoke can worsen the impact of your variants and contribute to rheumatoid arthritis.</span></p> <h3><strong>Diet</strong></h3> <h4><strong>Increase Omega-3 Intake</strong></h4> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In one study, higher levels of </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/top-22-science-based-health-benefits-of-fish-oil/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">omega-3</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> fatty acids were beneficial in people carrying the HLA-DR variants associated with rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5371398/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research suggests that increased dietary intake of omega-3s may protect against rheumatoid arthritis. In a meta-analysis of 20 clinical trials, higher omega-3 consumption improved rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and lab markers [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5634864/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28965775/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Good dietary omega-3 sources include [</span><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/"><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;">Fish and seafood</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/flaxseed-oil-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Flaxseed</span></a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chia seeds</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Walnuts</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/hemp-seeds/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hemp seeds</span></a></li> </ul> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids to counteract your HLA variants and improve joint health.</span></p> <h3><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4><strong><em>Lactobacillus casei</em></strong></h4> <p><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/probiotics-good-bacteria/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Probiotic</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> supplementation may help with autoimmunity by reducing HLA-DQA1 activity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6181139/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In two clinical trials, a probiotic strain </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/l-casei/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lactobacillus casei</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">improved rheumatoid arthritis by reducing inflammation [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24355439/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24673738/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This strain also relieved rheumatoid arthritis in animal studies [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21810608/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20838859/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18804867/"><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;">A probiotic strain <em>Lactobacillus casei</em> may improve rheumatoid arthritis by targeting your gene variants.</span></p>
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503 | content_learn_more_7603829496491912_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your HLA genes are associated with slightly higher odds of rheumatoid arthritis. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of rheumatoid arthritis; it’s just one gene related to it. Avoid cigarette smoke and increase your omega-3 intake to improve joint health by targeting your variants. Keep reading to learn more.
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rsIDs = rs9268557,rs3129890,rs9268839,rs660895
rsStatus = rs9268557,,chr6,32421528,T,A,C,G,4,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs3129890,,chr6,32446496,T,A,C,,11,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs9268839,,chr6,32460995,A,C,G,,7,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs660895,,chr6,32609603,A,G,,,13,0,Normal
