Microbiome and mucosal inflammation as extra-articular triggers for rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmunity

Despite the progress toward understanding the molecular pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), its cause remains elusive. Genes are important but rather insufficient to explain the majority of RA cases. This review describes the novel data supporting the microbiome and its interactions with the human host as potential en(‘in’)vironmental factors in RA pathogenesis.