Helix Exams: Arthritis

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Arthritis

Definition of Arthritis

Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness, and resulting from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, or other causes. It occurs in various forms, such as bacterial arthritis, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis.

Health Tip: Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can last for a few weeks to months, or it can last a lifetime. RA is thought to be an autoimmune disease, in which the body mistakenly attacks its own cells, the Nemours Foundation says. Read the Article
Gene Found for Form of Brittle Bone Disease Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) say they've pinpointed a genetic defect responsible for a form of brittle bone disease. Most forms of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a disorder that weakens bones, leads to frequent fractures and can even lead to death in infants, is caused by a defect in the genes that contain information for type I collagen, which is the material that holds bones, tendons, skin and other tissues together. About 10 percent to 15 percent of OI patients do not have a defect in these genes. Read the Article
Gene-Altered Mouse a Boon to Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Researchers believe they've developed an important new tool in understanding rheumatoid arthritis: a genetically altered mouse that closely mimics the disease in humans. The new mouse model might also help explain why women are much more prone to the crippling illness than men. Read the Article
FDA Seeks Higher Fees From Drug Industry The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Thursday for a substantial increase in annual fees paid by the pharmaceutical industry, money the agency uses to help test new drugs prior to their approval. If the request is authorized by Congress, the yearly fees would rise $87 million, nearly 29 percent, to $393 million. Read the Article
Smoking May Play Role in Knee Osteoarthritis Smoking may increase the risk for cartilage loss and more severe pain in men with osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a new study. The study, by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic and published in the January issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, followed 159 men with knee osteoarthritis for 30 months. Nineteen of the men were smokers. After the researchers adjusted their study results for age, body mass index (a measure of weight in relation to height) and baseline cartilage scores, they found that the smokers were at increased risk of cartilage loss and experienced more pain than the men who did not smoke. "Our findings also suggest smoking plays a role in the progression of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and, therefore, is a modifiable risk factor with important public health implications," Dr. David Felson, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Unit and professor Read the Article
Scientists Spot Key Autoimmune Disease Genes The identification by U.S. scientists of genes thought to be key to autoimmune disorders could be a big step toward new treatments for these illnesses, which include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. Cells called regulatory T-cells are supposed to help keep the immune system in check, but in autoimmune disease, these mechanisms can fail. Now, researchers reporting this week in the journal Nature have identified a set of genes closely linked to regulatory T-cell function. The finding could have important implications for research into autoimmune disease and even cancer, experts say. "This is certainly important in trying Read the Article
Repeat Bone Density Scans Not as Useful as Thought Doing a follow-up bone mineral density (BMD) scan up to eight years after an initial scan doesn't improve doctors' ability to predict fractures in healthy older postmenopausal women, a U.S. study finds. Currently, guidelines recommend the use of BMD measurements to screen for osteoporosis in women when they reach age 65. There's little evidence to support the use of repeat BMD testing in order to assess a woman's fracture risk, but repeat BMD scans are commonly performed in clinical practice, according to background information in the study. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Northwest/Hawaii, Portland, Ore., measured total hip BMD in 4,124 women (average age 72) in 1989 and 1990, and once again an average of eight years later. Between the first and second test the women lost an average of 0.59 percent of their bone mass per year. After the repeat BMD test, the women were followed for an average of five years in order to record fractures. Du Read the Article
Bone Fracture a Real Danger for Older Men Older women are generally more likely than men to fracture a bone, but once a man has suffered at least one such injury that gender gap disappears, new research shows. "After a first fracture, the risk of a subsequent fracture in women is doubled, but for men, it is increased three- to four-fold, so that the absolute risk of a subsequent fracture is the same for women and men," said the study's lead author, Jacqueline Center, a senior research officer at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia. "In other words, the protective effect of being a man on fracture risk was lost after the first fracture," she said. Center added that the increased risk of refracture lasted as long as 10 years after the initial fracture. Results of the study are published in the Jan. 24/31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, fractures are most often caused Read the Article
Health Tip: Treating a Sports Injury If you've been injured while exercising or playing a sport, the first thing you should do is to quit the activity and evaluate the injury. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases says you should see a doctor if the injury is extremely painful, is causing significant swelling, or if you can't put any weight on the injured area. You should also see a doctor if you've aggravated an old injury that's become painful or swollen. If you're treating the injury at home, begin the RICE method as quickly as possible and follow it for at least the next 48 hours. RICE stands for: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. In short, don't exercise or strain the area, and keep it iced for 20 minutes at a time, four to eight times per day. And, if possible, keep the area wrapped and elevated to a level above the heart. Read the Article
New Score Helps Spot Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers Dutch researchers may have a new method of predicting whether patients with arthritic symptoms will progress to the autoimmune form of the disease, rheumatoid arthritis. By differentiating those patients who will develop full-blown rheumatoid arthritis from those who will not, the new formula could speed earlier treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients, reducing damage to their joints while sparing those who will not develop the disease the side effects sometimes associated with rheumatoid arthritis drugs. "You don't want to give treatment to patients who will spontaneously remit, because they will not get the benefit," explained lead researcher Dr. Annette van der Helm-van Mil, a rheumatologist at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. "You want to give it only to the patients who have a high chance of progressing to rheumatoid arthritis." The findings are published in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. Accor Read the Article
Exercise Has No Impact on Knee Osteoarthritis Even for the overweight, regular moderate exercise does not hasten or delay the onset of osteoarthritis of the knee in older individuals, new research reveals. The finding undercuts the notion that exercise might have a protective effect against osteoarthritis. However, at the same time, it suggests that those already burdened with an elevated risk, such as overweight seniors, can safely remain active. "There was fear that weight-bearing exercise among overweight people might put the very people who need it most at risk of getting knee arthritis and knee pain, but this study suggests that is not the case," said study author Dr. David T. Felson, chief of Boston University's Clinical Epidemiology Research Training Unit. "There shouldn't be any concern." The findings are published in the February issue of Arthritis Care & Research. According to the National Institutes of Health, osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the U Read the Article
Tweaking a Gene Could Rebuild Bone Scientists say the manipulation of a single gene, called Pten, boosted bone density in mice. This research may help in the development of new treatments for osteoporosis and bone fractures, the researchers said. A team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that disrupting Pten in bone cells called osteoblasts resulted in dramatic and progressively increasing bone density. "Bone density can increase either because more bone cells divide or fewer cells die due to apoptosis (programmed cell death). Pten is a tumor suppressor gene that applies a break on the main cell survival pathway, causing cells to die. We devised a way to remove the Pten break in bone cells, allowing the cells to stay alive and active for a longer period of time," Thomas L. Clemens, professor of pathology and director of the university's division of molecular and cellular pathology, said in a prepared statement. "In the mice without Pten, osteoblast cells Read the Article
Psoriasis Often Goes Untreated: Survey Many Americans with chronic moderate or severe psoriasis receive no treatment or inadequate treatment, a new survey from the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) shows. The poll also revealed a link between severe psoriasis and low income. Psoriasis is a non-contagious disease in which the immune system causes skin to grow at an accelerated rate. The surveys, conducted from 2003 to 2005, found that nearly 40 percent of people with chronic moderate or severe psoriasis were receiving no treatment, and that 57 percent of people with severe psoriasis, and 73 percent of those with moderate psoriasis, were receiving topical treatment only. Over half of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis were not receiving treatment that meets American Academy of Dermatology guidelines. Those guidelines say that people with chronic moderate to severe psoriasis are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy, including biologic agents. However, many of Read the Article
Health Tip: Risk Factors for Hip Fracture Hip fractures can lead to serious complications -- including a prolonged recovery and a higher risk of death, especially among seniors. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says these risk factors can make you more prone to breaking a hip: Read the Article
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