Follow-up

​

The original EIRA study investigated causes of rheumatoid arthritis. In this new study the knowledge on joint disease is further expanded to investigate if, and how, lifestyle and environmental factors can affect the course of the diseases. The original EIRA study gives important and reliable results thanks to the large amount of people who took their time to donate blood and answer the first questionnaire. At this stage we now ask these participants to once again lend us some of their time to answer a new and shorter questionnaire. We want to know more about their lives with joint disease, relating to issues such as physical activity, tobacco use, family, drugs and profession.

 

The aim of this new study is to provide knowledge that can improve the treatment and care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It is especially important to identify what kind of lifestyles that can be beneficial for patients with joint diseases, so that they can bring control over their own health. Once again, the greater the number of participants, the results will be more valid and thus more helpful.

 

 

This survey also tests new ways of gathering information. The EIRA follow-up participants are given the opportunity to log on and answer an electronic questionnaire, available on this website. Logging on is done through a username and password that has been sent by mail to the persons that have been asked to participate. The possibility to answer a traditional paper survey is also retained, which arrives in the mail together with information on the electronic survey. To further advance the digital communication the respondents are also given the opportunity to give their e-mail in the survey, as a future mode of contact.

 

Contact

EIRA-sekretariat

Ida Palmqvist

Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet

Box 210, 171 11 Stockholm

Tel: 08-524 879 31

Fax: 08-31 04 98

E-mail:eira-studien@imm.ki.se.