Recent infections are associated with decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based case-control study.
Objectives Do recent infections affect the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? Methods We used the population-based case-control study EIRA (N= 6401) on incident RA and healthy controls, matched for sex, age, calendar period and area of residence. Gastroenteritis, urinary tract infection, genital infection, prostatitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis and pneumonia during the 2 years before inclusion in t