Associations between pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and incident rheumatic diseases
Authors' conclusion
Preceding pharyngitis was associated with decreased odds of developing rheumatic disease, including lupus and RA. Future studies should replicate these results.
Study context
- Population
- Incident, criteria-confirmed individuals with rheumatic diseases from 2002–2014 and matched controls1,427 individuals with incident rheumatic disease matched to 4281 controls (mean age 61, 67% female)
- Participants
- 1,427 vs 4,281
- Comparison
- Antecedent pharyngitis or tonsillitis and subsequent rheumatic disease
- CASESn = 1,427
- CONTROLSn = 4,281
- Outcome
- Prior pharyngitis and rheumatic disease
Methodological detailsmatched to controls 3:1 on age, sex, and length of preceding electronic health record, logistic regression models adjusting for confounders
- Matched to controls 3:1 on age, sex, and length of preceding electronic health record
- Logistic regression models adjusting for confounders
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prior pharyngitisEstimate (95% CI)
Decreased odds
OR for any rheumatic disease 0.86(0.74–1.00)
Prior pharyngitis
OR for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 0.79(0.65–0.98)
Prior pharyngitis
unadjusted OR for lupus 0.26(0.11–0.62)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Tonsillitis and incident rheumatic disease
| CASES | CONTROLS | OR for incident rheumatic disease (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TonsillitisNot associated | 2% | 1% | 1.26 (0.77–2.07) | |
| 0.512OR for incident rheumatic disease (log scale) |
Sensitivity analyses: pharyngitis type, timing, number of codes, smoking
- Statistically significant lower odds of rheumatic disease were associated with acute pharyngitis, first pharyngitis exposure >10 years prior to index date, and 1-3 pharyngitis codes
- Associations between pharyngitis and smoking status also followed these trends
Original publication
Associations between pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and incident rheumatic diseases. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published 31 October 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →