Rheumatoid+Arthritis

Ruderman, E., Tambar, S. (2012). Rheumatoid arthritis. //American College of Rheumatology.// Teitel, A. (2012) Rheumatoid arthritis. //A.D.A.M. Medical Encylcopedia.// Rheumatoid arthritis history. (2012). New Medical. ||
 * A. || Name of disease: || Rheumatoid Arthritus (RA) ||
 * B. || Root cause of disease: || The root cause of this disease is unknown, it is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. Thought to be a combination of genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors. ||
 * C. || Affected cell types/ tissues/ organs/ systems: || RA typically affects joints, such as wrists, fingers, knees, feet, and ankles. However it can also affect, blood vessels, heart tissue and lung tissue. ||
 * D. || Historical background: (Include discoverer(s), famous victims, and any historical events linked to the disease). || The first recognized description of rheumatoid arthritis was in 1800 by the French physician Dr Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais. The name "rheumatoid arthritis" itself was coined in 1859 by British rheumatologist Dr Alfred Baring Garrod (News Medical 2012). Christiaan Barnard, the first surgeon to perform a human-to-human heart transplant, Dorothy Hodgkin, a Nobel prize winning scientist, and Jamie Farr, an American actor have all had rheumatoid arthritis. ||
 * E. || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Common symptoms: || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Morning stiffness lasting longer than 1 hour, warm tender, or stiff joints when not being used, joint pain, decreased range of motion, and deformation of joints are the most common symptoms. Numbness, tingling or burning may be felt in the hands and feet and in more severe cases, nodules can be felt under the skin and sleep difficulties are present. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">F. || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Standard treatments: || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Disease modifying antirheumatic drugs are most commonly used in association with physical therapy, exercise, education and in some cases surgery. Anti-inflammatory medications are also common to reduce swelling. Corticosteroids are another common medication but can only be used in low doses for short periods of time. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">G. || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Current research: (Please include reference citations here). || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Current research is being done to make biologic agents as treatment sources more useful and increase their safety, white blood cell modulators, tumor necrosis factors, and interleukin-6 inhibitors have been shown effective. These treatments are given subcutaneously or intravenously (Teitel, 2012). Research is also being done to measure the effectiveness of deep heat or electrical impulses (Teitel, 2012). The newest compound to be tested with RA is a compound named PS372424, this compound effectively “blindfolds” white blood cells and keeps them from reaching the joints where they cause damage to the healthy tissues (O’Boyle et al., 2012). ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">H. || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">References: || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">O’ Boyle, G., Fox, C., Walden, H., Willet, J., Mavin, E., Hine, D., et al. (2012) Chemokine receptor CXCR3 agonist prevents human T-cell migration in a humanized model of arthritic inflammation. //Proc. Of the Natl. Acad. of Sci., 109 (12),// 4598-4603.