Childhood socioeconomic factors and perinatal characteristics influence development of rheumatoid arthritis in adulthood.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been associated with lower socioeconomic status (SES), but the reasons for this are not known.

Objective: To examine childhood SES measures, SES trajectory and other perinatal factors in relation to RA.

Methods: The sample included 50 884 women, aged 35-74 (84% non-Hispanic white) enrolled 2004-9 in a US national cohort study.