Life stress and rheumatoid arthritis. A 15-year follow-up study.

A 15-year follow-up study of 74 female patients with definite or classic rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was performed with special focus on the association between life stress and clinical course of the illness. Two categories of RA could be classified: a disease form less connected with genetic factors and more influenced by major psychodynamic conflict situations ('major conflict group' MCG) and a second form more associated with hereditary predisposition and less influenced by environmental psychosocial changes ('non-conflict group', NCG).