Doctor...What Are The Effects Of Alcohol On Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Could a glass of wine at dinner time be the next major arthritis breakthrough?Possibly... according to a recent Swedish study. A diet of 10% ethanol had a protective effect on mice that would otherwise have developed collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), Swedish researchers report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. CIA is often used as an animal model of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA.)Andrej Tarkowski, MD, the senior author and a faculty member in the department of rheumatology and inflammation research, Goteborg University, in Sweden, stated that the primary finding was that, in male mice, long term consumption of 10% ethanol delayed the onset and progression of CIA.The underlying mechanism appears to be a reduction in inflammation due to decreased NF-kB activation (a primary...

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New Guidelines For Osteoarthritis - What Do They Mean?

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and the leading cause of chronic musculoskeletal pain and limited mobility in older people worldwide.It is a disease that causes cartilage in weight-bearing areas such as the neck, low back, hips, knees, and the base of the thumbs to deteriorate and wear away.Since it is so common, many treatments have been advocated. Some treatments work and others don't. However, the sheer number of claims of efficacy can be overwhelming to both physicians as well as patients.Guidelines are often created by various organizations in medicine to help both the patient as well as the physician arrive at decisions. These guidelines are formulated to let the physician and patient know what types of diagnostic criteria or treatment methods have enough evidence...

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Stem Cell Treatment For Osteoarthritis - What is it All About?

While many new and amazing therapies for rheumatoid arthritis have been developed in recent years, very little progress has been made in the treatment of osteoarthritis.Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and affects approximately 30 million Americans. OA is a disease of articular cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of long bones. Cartilage has both gliding as well as shock absorbing properties.It is this flexibility of function that enables a joint to work properly.Normal cartilage is composed of cells called chondrocytes that sit inside a matrix consisting of collagen and glycosaminoglycans... much like grapes inside Jello.Osteoarthritis develops when the chondrocyte begins to malfunction and starts to produce destructive enzymes. At the same time water content...

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What is "PRP" and How Does it Work - Will it Help Me?

One exciting approach to wound healing, variously described as "regenerative medicine" or "tissue engineering" has been the use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) either alone or in conjunction with stem cells.PRP got recent notoriety when it was mentioned that Hines Ward, the Pittsburgh Steeler's star wide receiver had received this treatment for an injury prior to the Super Bowl.As it turns out, PRP has been used for quite some time now, particularly at our center, to help accelerate the healing of conditions such as tendonitis, ligament strains, muscle strains, arthritis, synovitis (inflammation inside the joint), and cartilage defects.Platelet rich plasma is employed as a matrix graft, often referred to as an autologous tissue graft. This platelet-rich plasma (PRP) matrix is defined as a "tissue...

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Why is Osteoarthritis So Darned Hard to Treat?

Recent research efforts from both Northwestern University in Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have described work on the use of a new nanofiber gel that promotes cartilage growth in joints.The material is injected into the damaged joint and stimulates bone marrow stem cells to produce natural cartilage.The nanofibers allow stem cells from bone marrow to produce cartilage containing type II collagen and repair a damaged joint.Type II collagen is the major protein component in articular cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of long bones within a joint.This is distinctly different from the Type I collagen produced as a result of another procedure used to heal cartilage damage called microfracture. Microfracture is a surgical procedure where small holes are drilled...

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Remission in Rheumatoid Arthritis - Is it Possible?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. It is a chronic, autoimmune driven, systemic disease that affects approximately two million Americans.While it is obviously a painful debilitating condition, RA also negatively impacts the quality of life and reduces functionality in affected individuals.The goals of treatment are pretty straightforward. They are to reduce pain and inflammation, prevent further deterioration of joint damage, and restore functional capacity.The advent of newer biologic drugs has enabled rheumatologists to offer remission- the absence of disease- to their patients with RA.Aside from the symptomatic relief and restoration of function, there are other significant benefits of remission induction, They are extension of life span, since...

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How Safe Are Prescription Topical Non-Steroidal Drugs?

The treatment of osteoarthritis is essentially palliative.Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease where the articular cartilage- the gristle that caps the ends of long bones wears away. More than 20 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, making it the most common form of arthritis.While the therapeutic approach varies from practitioner to practitioner, the general thrust is similar.Patients are treated with analgesics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, injections of glucocorticoids, injections of hyaluronic acid ("rooster comb") lubricants, and then have surgery.In patients with relatively mild disease, physicians may also prescribe topical agents.Many doctors feel that topical non-steroidal drugs may be safer to use than oral anti-inflammatory drugs.A recent...

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What is the Future of Stem Cell Treatment For Regrowing Cartilage?

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. Estimates of its prevalence among Americans vary from 20 million to 40 million.The underlying pathophysiology is the premature deterioration of articular cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of long bones. Cartilage is a form of connective tissue. It is unique in that it receives its nourishment from the lining of the joint- the synovium. Cartilage itself has no blood vessels or nerves.The pain that arises from osteoarthritis is due to irritation brought about by local inflammation. These local inflammatory changes occur as a result of the production of destructive enzymes as well as local irritation due to altered biomechanics.Until recently, the treatment of osteoarthritis has been purely symptomatic. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory...

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What Other Diseases "Masquerade" as Rheumatoid Arthritis? Part 2 - The Infectious Group

While rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, the diagnosis is not always easy to make. The reason is that there are more than 100 different kinds of arthritis. Most of them involve inflammation. When a patient goes to a rheumatologist to get a diagnosis, there is a process of elimination in order to arrive at the proper diagnosis. This process of elimination is called "differential diagnosis."Differential diagnosis can be a difficult undertaking because so many forms of arthritis, particularly inflammatory forms of arthritis look alike. Generally it is helpful to divide the differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis into two groups. The first group are the non-infectious diseases to consider and the second group are the infection-related conditions.In...

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What Other Diseases "Masquerade" as Rheumatoid Arthritis? Part 1 - The Non-Infectious Group

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis and affects more than 2 million Americans. The diagnosis is not easy to make in many instances. There are more than 100 different kinds of arthritis. Most of them involve inflammation. When a patient goes to a rheumatologist to get a diagnosis, there is a process of elimination in order to arrive at the proper diagnosis. This process of elimination is called "differential diagnosis."Differential diagnosis can be a difficult undertaking because so many forms of arthritis, particularly inflammatory forms of arthritis look alike. Generally it is helpful to divide the differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis into two groups. The first group are the non-infectious diseases to consider and the second group are the...

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New Guidelines For Rheumatoid Arthritis - Good Or Bad?

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is the national organization that represents much of the current thinking when it comes to arthritis care. One of their major commitments has been to develop guidelines for treatment of various types of arthritis. These guidelines are meant to instruct and perhaps give people an indication of what is considered "standard of care".They are not set in concrete nor are they meant to restrict other therapies. Guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were last made by the ACR in 2002... before the general use of biologic therapy.Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune disorder for which there is no known cure. It affects roughly 2 million Americans.Up until the turn of this past century, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic...

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So, What's New in 2010 For Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune-based disease that affects approximately two million Americans. The pathogenesis seems to implicate both genetic as well as environmental factors.The chronic inflammatory response leads not only to joint destruction but also to damage involving internal organs.Because of the complicated nature of the disease, no one therapy has been found to be curative.In the early 1980's methotrexate revolutionized our treatment approach to rheumatoid arthritis. Prior to methotrexate, patients had limited options. Among them were gold salts, d-penicillamine- a highly toxic medicine, and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil).What really allowed rheumatologists to achieve remission though was the development of highly targeted biologic therapies in the...

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Who Else Wants General Information on Arthritis?

Today there are about 70 million Americans with arthritis...that's one person out of every four who suffer both pain and the expense of this crippling disease. In one year alone, arthritis will be responsible for over half a billion dollars in lost wages. The economic consequences of arthritis are important to review because each year, arthritis takes a devastating financial toll on our society.Over the course of ten years, arthritis related work loss has been associated with a 37% drop in income for arthritics - all those without arthritis had a 90% rise in income over the same period of time!If you...a friend...or a relative has arthritis,...

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