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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 25, 2014 12:21 PM IST
Japanese researchers have taken one step closer to the cure of rheumatoid arthritis. These researchers have successfully found the molecules that lead to this condition which is useful to crack down its cure, media reported Friday.
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, immune cells mistakenly identify molecules in the body as invasive substances and attack them, resulting in an inflammatory condition that causes joint swelling and pain.
But it has remained unknown which molecules are targeted by the immune cells.
Through experiments with mice, scientists from Kyoto University and other institutes detected one of the target molecules, which is involved in intracellular protein synthesis, Xinhua reported citing the Asahi Shimbun.
The team then found that the immune cells adversely reacted to the identified molecule in 17 percent of all human rheumatoid arthritis patients surveyed.
The findings were published in the US scientific journal Science Oct. 17.
Currently, an estimated 700,000 individuals in Japan suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Although it is possible to suppress symptoms thanks to the advancement of medicines, there is still no fundamental cure.
In advanced rheumatoid arthritis patients, bones and cartilage are destroyed, affecting the functionality of the limbs.
'If we are able to suppress the function of T cells by using the discovered causative substance as a clue, it could lead to the development of a radical treatment,' said team member Yoshinaga Ito, an assistant professor of immunology at Kyoto University.
In healthy individuals, T cells, the 'control tower' for immune cells, detect pathogens invading the body to eliminate them. T cells have various types of censors to respond to differing pathogens, and it is believed that hundreds of millions of types of T cells exist in the human body.
Abnormalities in the control of T cells cause immune cells to attack normal body cells, causing rheumatoid arthritis and other adverse conditions.
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disorder that primarily targets the joints but can affect other body parts as well. It causes pain and limits the function of your joints. There is joint swelling, redness, and stiffness. It affects various organs of the body. There may be associated fever, lymph nodes swelling, weight loss, tiredness, loss of appetite and poor sleep. The causes for the disease are still not completely known.
RA is diagnosed based on the symptoms, the inflamed joints affected and through blood and X-ray findings, MRI scan, CT scan, synovial fluid analysis and/or a urine test. There are no known cures. Oral medications are used to alleviate the symptoms and slow down the spread of the disease. Painkillers and steroids are used to treat the symptoms of arthritis. DMARDs (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs) help suppress the underlying inflammatory disease. The newest and most advanced treatment option so far is the use of biologic drugs that target inflammatory proteins. Know more here.
Reversing rheumatoid arthritis could be possible with proper nutrition, yoga and pranayama. The symptoms of RA can be reduced by strengthening the immune system with the help of nutrition. While, yoga can keep the joints supple and flexible, pranayama helps in the efficient release of toxins from the body, thereby reducing pain.
Image source: Getty Images
With inputs from IANS
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