Before my husband and I had our children (look to the left...are they the cutest boys you have EVER seen) we had genetic counseling concerning DH's RA. Basically, they told us we were more likely to pass on my allergies than RA. But, as I read through this board I am seeing more and more parents with RA having children with RA. None of my DH's parents or grandparents had RA.
My question is this...are there a lot of RA parents having it show up in their children? And if so, what were the signs?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for asking this! I brought up the concern of my boys getting RA to the pediatrician and he did not know. I'm supposed to ask my RD at my next visit.PS - Those boys are cute, but not quite as cute as mine.But you know, that's not solid science either. It's just what some of us gather, and see. I was DXed at only 18months old. My grandfather, mother, and aunt were all DXed when I was in my young teens. So the way some view it I "got" it first. But I think we've all always "had it" but I was the only one who had it "turned on"
I'm rambling...hehe
I agree with Mel. Those boys are cute, but not as cute as mine
As far as anyone knows, I'm the first in our fam to get RA. It was not, at least directly, passed to me from my parent's. I read recently that siblings of those with RA have higher risk than children. The jury's still out regarding my kids, they are all perfectly healthy so far.
The genetic counselor put it more like this...sure you can be a carrier for it. But, the genetic mix has to be just right and you have to have that "trigger" that brings it out. My DH's popped out after having the flu when we was 28 yrs old. He had a high temp and was within a week!
I must say you are all WRONG about you kids being cuter than mine!
Hah. I sound like we're actually getting paid to do this or something. We're so not...I swear. LOL Man I'm telling you, Pip and Gimpy are so much better with this stuff.
One of the reasons (there were about 10,000) I breastfed both of my children..RA...maybe it will help them to avoid it.
You know, my mom has always wondered that. She didn't with me, and I've asked that question to a lot of JRAers I've met. There's no real pattern there. I thought for sure there would be. Again, it's about 50/50. The answers really are elusive.I think the most I've seen are identical twins have a total chance of getting this at 15% - so - if it were genetic - you'd think that number would be a LOT higher.
Katie - I think you pretty much have it down pat. There is some sort of trigger and some of us fight it off better than others. I found something the other day that made me think of JRAer's and I'm going to go look for it. If I find it, I'll start another thread.
Hugs,
Pip
I am the second or third generation PAer in my family. My sister and I both got it from my dad(yes PA is equally divided among women and men). So, in my family there is some genetic connection...50/50 persey, and we will see with my kiddos. I am praying with all my heart that this just eludes both of them, and so far so good. I am hoping they are as healthy as horses like their daddy!!!I think my mom has it but her symptoms are so much milder than mine that she hasn't even been to the doctor to get tested. Yes, I know, I tell her all the time that it's not just dealing with the pain. So maybe we're carriers in my family. What you're saying about a trigger kinda makes sense-- I went to Mexico when I was 15 and got a horrible bacterial ulcer from some beef that I ate. I was on meds and in and out of hospitals for months. After I was completely better, I had a break of a couple of months and then bam, stiff, achey joints, low grade fever, etc.i think you have to have the genetic predisposition then the trigger.
Katie I don't think JRA is any different it just may be that the trigger may be more subtle. It could be a cold or a vaccine. It could be exposure to cigarette smoke etc
Good question. I have no clue on the answer. I sure hope we don't pass it on.
I know no one in my family has been told they have RA other than me. So yay me I guess.
I don't know the answer, however, my father has it. It is believed that my RA was triggered by an infection with a high fever approximately 1 year prior to my symptoms of RA. I hope and pray my daughter doesn't end up with this disease.I have had it most of my life. My mom has had problems before but just recently here RA factor has gone up. So technically I did have it first. I think I agree with Katie's view.
My grandfathers sister has a horrible case...but who knows.
I worry about this a lot too.
Wife--I didn't know that RA was what was bothering me before I had my 1st or 2nd child. But if I had known it would have been one of the 10,000 reasons for me to nurse mine as well. (I did nurse all three)
Katie--I was nursed for about 8 months. I wasn't dx'd until just after the birth of my second child (massive flare that I now know is common). I can't put a finger on what would have triggered it. I do remember having achy joints and being so tired as a child, but my parents put it down to anemia and growing pains.
I worry about my children. Honestly, everytime one of them tells me that their joints are hurting--even if I know it is a sports injury--it crosses my mind. My DH would tell me that I'm crazy if he knew that this was something that I worry about.
And as for cute kids...you really need to see the three of mine.
Andrea
This is something I worry about too. My fiancee and I really want at least one child, but we're not planning on having any for at least another 3 or 4 years (we're both 22 right now). I'm the first actually diagnosed case on either side of my family. We think there might have been two great great aunts (one on my maternal grandmother's side and one on my maternal grandfather's side), but that was so long ago that no one really knows. From everything I've read, there doesn't seem to be an obvious tendency for kids of folks with RA to develop it.[QUOTE=babyjeepwoman]I worry about my children. Honestly, everytime one of them tells me that their joints are hurting--even if I know it is a sports injury--it crosses my mind.[/QUOTE]
Me too...my oldest will say...my knee hurts. And I will say "Tell me how they hurt." Then he says "Oh, they hurt for like a second cause I hit it."
My RA started up during my pregnancy with our first DD, although I had a bad finger that I blamed on playing volleyball a couple years before hand. Now my juvenile diabetes started after I had strep throat when I was 12. When the girls were little I would really stress out everytime they got some infection, wondering if it would be the trigger.There is NO autoimmune in our family, except my daughter. My dad has eight brothers and sisters, and I've got gobs of cousins. None on my mom's side, none on hubby's side.
[QUOTE=micheleb] I had 5 miscarriages [/QUOTE]
Micheleb-
I am sorry to hear that you have had this problem. I never connected my miscarriages as a trigger for RA--I thought that it was because of the RA that I had them. Although I didn't even know I had RA when I had all the problems.
No one in my maternal history that I can find has RA. Unfortunately I know nothing of my paternal history. I was sort of an accident and in 1965 it was really bad for my mom to be pregnant and unwed. So the biological father never knew.
Andrea
Babyjeep, thanks. I was relatively healthy until we tried to have a family. After about the 3rd miscarriage, things started acting up, my hands swelled, the fatigue set in and such but they said it was the fertility drugs. This went on for another year. Got pg with identical twin girls, the chronic uveitis started, more swelling and fatigue-of course than it was because I was pg with twins. Lost the twins just after the first trimester and my whole body swelled up and the pain really set in, of course than it was because I was depressed because my babies died. Well, of course I was depressed, my babies had just died but can't there also be something physically wrong as well???? Grrr. That was a couple of years ago and still no firm dx on the ra because I am sero negative but I do have a confirmed case of severe sarcoidosis, which is another ai disease. HI the mom of the daughter here .