Rheumatism does not run in the family. Rheumatism is not a genetic disease and is not passed on from one generation to the next. There are many factors that contribute to the development of rheumatic diseases, of which there is a certain genetic background. Fathers with rheumatism may carry susceptibility genes, which are passed from father to child and not necessarily passed entirely to the next generation. These offspring carrying susceptibility genes may develop the disease only under the combined influence of certain factors. Other factors include environmental, endocrine, and infectious factors, and it is only under the combined effect of these factors that a child may develop rheumatic disease. Therefore, if the father suffers from rheumatism, the chances of the child suffering from rheumatism are only a little higher than those of other people, and the child will not be inherited and definitely develop the disease.