FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE OCCURRENCE OF RHEUMATIC MANIFESTATIONS IN THE FAMILIES OF RHEUMATIC PATIENTS

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Abstract
The percentage of rheumatic children with a history of rheumatic manifestations in their parents is found to be almost 4 times that found in a control group of children, and is consistent over two generations in the 96 rheumatic families studied. In the preceding generation of these families a greater % of children with rheumatic disease is found where the parents were rheumatic than where they were non-rheumatic. [female] offspring of rheumatic mothers develop rheumatic disease twice as frequently as the [male] offspring. More rheumatic disease is found on the maternal than on the paternal side of the family. Hereditary constitution may play a role in the disease but infection and exposure cannot be excluded.