Study: Moldy Environments May Trigger Rheumatoid Arthritis

Moldy environments may trigger rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study reported in the December issue of Clinical Rheumatology.

Researchers from Kuopio University Hospital in Finland studied a situation in which a cluster of rheumatic diseases occurred among a group of health center employees who began to complain of symptoms typically related to moldy houses, including nausea and fatigue within a year of moving into a new building.

Dampness was found in the insulation space of the concrete floor below ground level of the building. Microbes indicating mold damage and bacteria were found in the flooring material and in the outer wall insulation.

After examining the case histories of the personnel involved, the researchers found that all 34 workers at the health center had at least some rheumatic complaints. Two fell ill with rheumatoid arthritis and 10 had arthritis that did not conform to any definite arthritic syndrome, although three met the classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis.

Sixteen of the 34 workers developed joint pains, including 11 who developed this condition after beginning work at the health center. Fourteen workers had elevated levels of circulating immune complexes in 1998, 17 in 1999, but there were only three cases in 2001, when the health center had been closed for 18 months.

"As some of the symptoms had tended to subside while the health center was closed, the underlying causes are probably related to the building itself and possibly to the abnormal microbial growth in its structures," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: Clinical Rheumatology. 2003 Dec;22(6):381-5