Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathophysiology

At the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence, its annual congress, held online November 3–9, 2021, five panels addressed new research concerning rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the joints. RA affects 1.3 million Americans and is 2.5 times more common in women, according to Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms include fatigue and pain and stiffness at the joint site. 5 Top Takeaways From the Rheumatology Conference for People With Rheumatoid Arthritis 1. Ultra-Low Dose Rituximab Controls Disease Activity for Most RA Patients What's new Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody, is registered for treating RA at the dose of 2x1000 milligrams (mg) per six months. In previous studies, 1x1000 mg or 2x500 mg per six months were equally effective. The new study, an extension of previous studies, found that even lower doses may be effective for many people living with RA. Research details  In a previous study, doses of 200 and 500 mg of rituximab a...

Inflammation is the process in which the body's immune system deals with infection, injury, and harmful substances. Lung inflammation may happen in one or both lungs and in different areas of the lungs. It may also be caused by other health conditions, stress, or allergens. Lung inflammation can happen from infectious causes, such as pneumonia caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses, and noninfectious causes, such as pneumonitis, or a type of allergic reaction. This inflammation can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-standing). Acute inflammation happens suddenly and resolves in a few days to weeks. Chronic lung inflammation can happen gradually and take 6 weeks or longer to recover. In some cases, your immune system can attack healthy cells, which leads to chronic inflammation. This may happen if you have an autoimmune condition such as asthma. Treatments for lung inflammation vary based on the cause of the inflammation, whether it's acute or chronic, and the severity of you...

1 - Anything with added sugar Added sugar has been shown to increase the risk of arthritis, and irritate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. This means sugary fizzy drinks, sweets and cakes are off the menu or at least should be limited to a special treat once in a while. As well as irritating symptoms, foods with added sugar are classic culprits for piling on the pounds. Being overweight can aggravate arthritis pain as the added weight puts more pressure on your joints, causing pain.

Continue Reading Treatment with the monoclonal antibody dupilumab led to asthma remission by 24 and 52 weeks in a substantial proportion of patients with uncontrolled disease and also reduced exacerbations and improved lung function and asthma control in patients who did not experience remission. These were among the results of a post hoc analysis of the phase 3 Liberty Asthma QUEST trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02414854) presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, held in New Orleans from November 4 to 8, 2021. The study included 348 patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma who were treated with dupilumab and 195 matched patients treated with placebo. Researchers compared the 2 groups based on a composite endpoint for clinical asthma remission (no exacerbations; Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-5) total score <1.5; and post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in ...

Five warning signs of rheumatoid arthritis About one percent of the UK population has rheumatoid arthritis, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, making it the most common inflammatory kind of arthritis above lupus and Lyme disease. The long-term condition is tricky to predict and the symptoms aren't the same as other forms of arthritis.   Express.co.uk   reveals the nine unusual signs of rheumatoid arthritis, according to the NHS and WebMD. Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. While osteoarthritis usually impacts the hands, spine, knees and hips, rheumatoid arthritis more specifically impacts the hands, feet and wrists. Rheumatoid arthritis often starts when a person is between 40 and 50 years old, and women are three times more likely to be affected than men. The condition is caused when the body's immune system targets affected joints, which le...

The PsA was there all along, but no one was seeing the full picture. I was being treated joint by joint, pain by pain, rather than as a whole person. When I was just 2 years old, I started limping and would cry when I had to walk. My parents started noticing swelling around my ankle that seemed to be getting worse. When they brought me to the doctor, the first assumption was that I had injured it. They had X-rays taken and everything looked completely normal. My pediatrician was still concerned about the swelling and recommended we see a rheumatologist. The pediatric rheumatologist diagnosed me with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in 1995. At first, I was treated with high doses of ibuprofen. When arthritis began working its way up to my knee, I was given a steroid injection. I don't remember much of that day, but I do recall a lollipop the size of my head as my post-injection treat. After that, my JIA symptoms eased up. I was actually able to achieve remission for many years, ...

Introduction Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a life-threatening complication in recipients of solid organ transplantation with a reported incidence of 0.6%–15%. The mortality rate for PJP can reach 50% despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. 1–3 Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is considered the first-choice treatment for PJP in renal transplant recipients. 4 The standard dosage is 15–20 mg/kg of TMP and 75–100 mg/kg of SMX per day administered 3–4 times a day intravenously or orally. 5 This dose is unfortunately associated with severe adverse effects, such as cytopenias (leucopenia and thrombocytopenia), increased serum creatinine, hyperkalemia, and gastrointestinal symptoms. These adverse events are not always well-tolerated and sometimes result in discontinuation of treatment. 6,7 In addition, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of TMP-SMX against P. jirovecii infection has not been standardized. 8 Some reports have suggested that dose reduction o...

Q: My eyes are very dry and gritty and I was wondering if there is an OTC remedy that you could recommend? I have a friend who was told she had dry eye syndrome and she was told to put a heat mask on and then massage her eyelids to remove blocked oil. Could this be what is wrong with me, and if so, can you tell me a bit more about it? Dr Grant replies :  Patients with dry eye syndrome or dry eye disease (DED) are advised to try to increase natural tear production by applying a heated eye mask over the closed eye surface. The lacrimal (tear producing) glands are located on the upper outer area eye lid and produce the tear film that helps to protect, clean, nourish and lubricate the eyes. ...

Asthma is a respiratory condition caused by inflammation and constriction (narrowing) of the airways. It's a long-term (chronic) condition that requires lifelong management and treatment to help prevent symptoms and reduce your chances of having an asthma attack. But how do you know for sure if you have asthma? If you're experiencing a cough or shortness of breath, learn what differentiates asthma from other respiratory conditions and how a doctor can confirm a diagnosis, so you can get the right treatment for your symptoms. Wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath are among the most common asthma symptoms. In severe flare-ups, you may also feel tightness in your chest. Unlike other respiratory conditions, asthma symptoms tend to flare up when you're exposed to triggers, such as: allergens that irritate the airways and cause inflammation exercise that can put stress on the airways and lead to inflammation cold weather conditions that constrict the airways Symptoms also t...

November 06, 2021 2 min read Source/Disclosures Published by: Source: Ostor A. Abstract 0453. Presented at: ACR Convergence 2021; November 5-9, 2021 (virtual meeting). Disclosures: The study was funded by AbbVie. Ostor reports speaking or consulting fees from AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi and UCB. Please see the study for all other authors' relevant financial disclosures. ADD TOPIC TO EMAIL ALERTS Receive an email when new articles are posted on...