Our current data are also similar to the observations in women with rheumatoid arthritis – in whom a shorter AR CAG repeat length was noted to be associated with earlier onset and more aggressive disease course (24) – and to a recent study of women with SLE in which the AR CAG repeat length was inversely correlated with the SLICC/ACR index of disease damage (25). The gene discussed is AR; the disease is systemic lupus erythematosus.