At first glance, rheumatoid arthritis and coronavirus have little in common. But an underlying pathological mechanism that involves an over-reactive immune response may allow a drug developed to treat arthritis to save the lives of coronavirus victims.
arthritis
Good dental hygiene can prevent periodontal disease and tooth loss. And according to recent research, it just might also be a means of preventing rheumatoid arthritis, by eliminating a bacterium whose products incite the immune system to attack the joints.
Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna have elucidated the role of galectin-1, a protein that has been found to be over-expressed in the joint cartilage of individuals with osteoarthritis, and which seems to stimulate the destructive inflammatory process.
Acetaminophen has become the go-to analgesic for many painful conditions. And when used appropriately, it can be effective for headaches and fever reduction. But it's not useful for inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and it can have a significant downside if used in excess.
A Nebraska-based study of changes in the prevalence of arthritis and related conditions found large increases during the period of 2007-2012. One possible reason for this situation is the ongoing, widespread prevalence of obesity in the state.
A systematic review of controlled clinical trials reveals that opioid analgesics are not superior to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, in treating the pain associated with knee osteoarthritis.
Americans have an obsession with sports. We flock by the thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, to see our favorite team play on their home turf. We cram into living rooms and bars to watch the games when we can t be there in person. We discuss them obsessively with our fellow fans and listen to the talking heads dissect them ad nauseum
Some good news for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a new study of British RA patients showed a significant improvement in overall life expectancy to almost that of the non-RA population.
A new review shows a link between consumption of an NSAID pain reliever and the arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation. Is it real, that is, causal? Stay tuned, it s not impossible.
A common knee cartilage operation is shown to be no better than a sham procedure: medial meniscectomy, repair or removal of a frayed or torn cartilage between the femur and tibia in the knee, had little effect on symptoms one year later.
About 50 million Americans have arthritis, and about 22 million have some disability from it. As we age, this problem will only get worse. We need more research into its root causes, and also we should lose weight! Thank heavens for joint replacement surgery.
Since 2010 the University of Massachusetts Department of Orthopedics and Physical Rehabilitation has been maintaining a national database (FORCE-TJR) of total joint replacement surgical and patient-reported outcomes of the surgery. Recently, a disturbing trend has been observed in the data from this study.