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Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Arthritis Rheum 2008;59:1155–61.
Editor’s note: Barker’s hypothesis, also known as the fetal origins of adult disease hypothesis, states that the fetal environment may influence the course of chronic diseases in adulthood, including common diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, and type II diabetes. Exposure of the fetus or infant to numerous antigens, hormones, immunoglobulins, and cytokines via transplacental pathways in the fetus or via breastfeeding in the infant may have significant effects on development and, thus, disease in later life. However, few studies have investigated these factors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the current study, the authors evaluated the association of SLE with birth weight, breastfeeding, and preterm birth in participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the NHSII.