Alcohol discovered to reduce severity of arthritis

Doctors say it is the first time the reduced impact of alcohol on sufferers of the illness has been uncovered but the reasons remain unclear.

Nearly 900 patients with the condition were compared with 1,000 non-sufferers, undergoing X-rays, blood tests and joint examinations.

Tests showed patients who had drunk alcohol most frequently had less severe symptoms than non-drinkers or those who drank less often.

Non-drinkers were four times more likely to develop the condition than those who drank on more than 10 days a month. The risk decreased according to the frequency of alcohol consumption.

James Maxwell, a consultant rheumatologist at Rotherham Hospital and an honorary senior clinical lecturer at Sheffield University, who co-authored the study published today in the journal Rheumatology, said it was not fully understood why alcohol should affect the severity of the condition and susceptibility to it.

Further research was needed and it was even possible different alcoholic drinks had a differing impact on the condition.

"There is some evidence to show that alcohol suppresses the activity of the immune system, and that this may influence the pathways by which rheumatoid arthritis develops," he said. "We do know that the changes in the immune system that lead to rheumatoid arthritis happen months and maybe even years before the arthritis actually develops.

"Once someone has developed rheumatoid arthritis, it's possible that the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of alcohol may play a role in reducing the severity of symptoms. X-rays showed there was less damage to joints, blood tests showed lower levels of inflammation, and there was less joint pain, swelling and disability."

Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 350,000 people, is three times more likely to hit women than men and generally develops between the ages of 40 and 60.