Women could be more susceptible to rheumatoid arthritis than men, a new study has revealed.

Research published in journal Arthritis Research and Therapy suggested that, because women have less strength than men, the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, such as joint pain and stiffness, are often more pronounced.

The study was led by Tuulikki Sokka from the Jyvaskyla Central Hospital, Finland, who explored possible links between gender and activity measures, clinical characteristics and treatments in over 6,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Commenting on the findings, Ms Sokka said gender-related variables had been "of considerable interest for some time".

"Obvious differences between genders exist in the prevalence, age at onset, and level of production of harmful arthritis auto-antibodies," she said.

Ms Sokka added that women generally reported a larger number of symptoms and tended to suffer more from pain and depression.

The study authors said that the results indicated that musculoskeletal diseases could be potentially more harmful in women than they are in men.

The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is still not known.

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