Patient's question:
I am 53 years old. Recently, as I have gotten older, I have been experiencing leg pain. I have previously visited the immunology department, but the effect was not significant. I have taken both Chinese and Western medicine, especially when the weather changes, I feel uncomfortable. Can mixed connective tissue disease be inherited?Doctor's answer:
Connective tissue diseases are not genetic disorders, but they all have a tendency to be passed down across generations, although the probability is very low, and it is generally unnecessary to worry about it. The hormonal treatment for this disease tends to trigger relapses when medication is increased, as hormones have the characteristic of causing symptoms to return after discontinuation. Even if all test results are normal and symptoms disappear, it is difficult to stop medication. The incidence of connective tissue diseases is multifactorial, with the hereditary factor acting as an internal cause requiring the addition of external factors to trigger the onset.