A breakthrough in our understanding of how rheumatoid arthritis develops could help scientists spot those at risk and even stop the condition before it starts.
Researchers have found that billions of bugs in our guts play a role in regulating the immune system.
The team from the Mayo Clinic in the U.S said that larger-than-normal populations of specific gut bacteria may trigger the development of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
A GP examines a patient's hand for signs of rheumatoid arthritis. There are 400,000 sufferers in the UK
'A lot of people suspected that gut flora played a role in rheumatoid arthritis, but no one had been able to prove it because they couldn't say which came first - the bacteria or the genes,' said lead author Dr Veena Taneja.
'Using genomic sequencing technologies, we have been able to show the gut microbiome may be used as a biomarker for predisposition.'
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