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" The risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis increases if a patient has certain characteristics to their DNA structure, a study has revealed. Researchers analysed just under 30,000 patients during their work, making it the biggest genetic study to ever be conducted.\u00A0 The DNA of patients with arthritis was compared to that of patients who did not have the condition. Researchers discovered 42 different &amp;#039;faulty&amp;#039; areas of DNA in arthritic patients that they realised were connected to the disease.\u00A0 One &amp;#039;faulty&amp;#039; area was found to create a weakness in the patient that doctors treated with a drug already in existence, simply by using a trial-and-error method to test its effectiveness. Scientists hope that new medicines could be developed to treat and maybe even cure arthritis using the same method. Professor Robert Plenge of Harvard Medical School, lead researcher on the project, said: &amp;quot;What this offers in the future is an opportunity to use genetics to discover new medicines for complex diseases like rheumatoid arthritis to treat or even cure the disease.&amp;quot; The study can be found here "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a24757/dna-shows-risk-of-arthritis/>