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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 results
Autoimmune Diseases
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/autoimmune-diseases
What are autoimmune diseases? Autoimmune diseases refer to problems with the immune system, which usually fights off viruses, bacteria, and infection. The problem causes your immune cells to attack your body by mistake. These diseases can affect almost any part of the body.
Autoinflammatory Diseases
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/autoinflammatory-diseases
What are autoinflammatory diseases? Autoinflammatory diseases refer to problems with the immune system, which usually fights off viruses, bacteria, and infection. The problem causes your immune cells to attack your body by mistake. This can cause swelling that produces fever, rash, joint swelling, or serious buildup of a blood protein in your organs.
Joint Replacement Surgery
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/joint-replacement-surgery
What is joint replacement surgery? Joint replacement surgery removes damaged or diseased parts of a joint and replaces them with new, man-made parts. Replacing a joint can reduce pain and help you move and feel better. Hips and knees are replaced most often. Other joints that can be replaced include the shoulders, fingers, ankles, and elbows.
Scleroderma
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/scleroderma
What is scleroderma? Scleroderma is an autoimmune connective tissue and rheumatic disease that causes inflammation in the skin and other areas of the body. This inflammation leads to patches of tight, hard skin. Scleroderma involves many systems in your body. A connective tissue disease is one that affects tissues such as skin, tendons, and cartilage. There are two major types of scleroderma: Localized scleroderma only affects the skin and the structures directly under the skin. Systemic scleroderma, also called systemic sclerosis, affects many systems in the body. This is the more serious type of scleroderma and can damage your blood
Osteonecrosis
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/osteonecrosis
What is osteonecrosis? Osteonecrosis is a bone disease. It results from the loss of blood supply to the bone. Without blood, the bone tissue dies. This causes the bone to collapse. It may also cause the joints that surround the bone to collapse. If you have osteonecrosis, you may have pain or be limited in your physical activity. Osteonecrosis can develop in any bone, most often in the: Thigh bone (femur). Upper arm bone (humerus). Knees. Shoulders. Ankles. It is also called: Avascular necrosis. Aseptic necrosis. Ischemic necrosis.
Fibromyalgia
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibromyalgia
What is fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia is a long-lasting or chronic disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue (feeling tired). If you have fibromyalgia, you have pain and tenderness throughout your body. Sometimes you may have two or more chronic pain conditions at the same time, such as: Chronic fatigue syndrome. Endometriosis. Irritable bowel syndrome. Interstitial cystitis. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ). Vulvodynia.
Paget’s Disease of Bone
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/pagets-disease-bone
What is Paget’s disease? Paget’s disease of bone is a chronic (long-lasting) disorder that causes bones to grow larger and become weaker than normal. Usually only one or a few bones have the disease. Many people with Paget’s disease do not have symptoms. However, the bone changes can cause: Bone pain. Misshapen bones. Broken bones (fractures). Problems in the joints near the bones with the disease. With treatment, many people can: Manage their symptoms. Improve pain. Control the effects of the disease.
Sjögren’s Syndrome
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/sjogrens-syndrome
What is Sjögren’s syndrome? Sjögren’s syndrome is a disease that affects the glands that make moisture. It most often causes dryness in the mouth and eyes. It can also lead to dryness in other places that need moisture, such as the nose, throat, and skin. Sjögren’s syndrome is also a rheumatic disease, which affect: Joints. Tendons. Ligaments. Bones. Muscles. The signs and symptoms of rheumatic diseases can include: Redness or heat. Swelling. Pain. Loss of function. Primary Versus Secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome Doctors have two categories for Sjögren’s syndrome: Primary form: Occurs if you do not have other rheumatic diseases. Secondary
Bioengineered Compound May Aid in Treating Osteoarthritic Joints
https://www.niams.nih.gov/newsroom/spotlight-on-research/bioengineered-compound-may-aid-treating
A bioengineered molecule designed to bind together key components found in the fluid that surrounds joint areas may improve lubrication and minimize friction. This could potentially slow the degeneration of cartilage tissue that occurs in knee osteoarthritis, according to a study conducted in rats and funded in part by the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The study was published in Nature Materials. The synovial fluid that bathes our joints is composed of several types of lubricants, including hyaluronic acid (HA) and lubricin. In healthy joints, this fluid ensures that tissues move together smoothly and without
Novel Insights Into Causes of Scleroderma Offer Potential New Treatment Strategies
https://www.niams.nih.gov/newsroom/spotlight-on-research/novel-insights-scleroderma
Integrins, a large class of cell surface molecules, play a role in a skin disease called scleroderma, according to research funded in part by the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and published in the journal Nature. The study showed that targeting integrins in mice with a form of scleroderma reversed the skin abnormalities associated with the disease. Scleroderma is a potentially life-threatening condition in which previously healthy people develop scarring of the skin, and in some cases damage to blood vessels and internal organs. In most forms of scleroderma, the cause of the disease is
International Team Identifies Biomarker for Scleroderma
A higher level of a small signaling molecule correlates with a more severe form of scleroderma, a chronic autoimmune disorder that involves the abnormal growth of connective tissue, according to a study funded in part by the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The findings suggest that the molecule, CXCL4, could be used as a diagnostic marker for the disease and as a therapeutic target. Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease characterized by damage to blood vessels and thickening and scarring of the skin. In some cases, internal
MRI Findings Reveal Early Changes to Joint That Predict Development of Knee Osteoarthritis
https://www.niams.nih.gov/newsroom/spotlight-on-research/mri-findings-reveal-early-changes
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a team of scientists has detected structural changes in the knee joint that precede signs of osteoarthritis seen on X-rays. The study, which was supported in part by the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), calls into question the assumption that damage to cartilage is the primary underlying cause of osteoarthritis. The findings appeared in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology.
Same Immune Regulatory Protein Found to Play Instrumental Role in Two Hereditary Autoinflammatory Diseases
https://www.niams.nih.gov/newsroom/spotlight-on-research/same-immune-regulatory-protein-found
Research funded in part by the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) has revealed a new role for A20, a protein that regulates a key immune response pathway, in certain early-onset autoinflammatory diseases. The results suggest that targeting this pathway could be an effective strategy for treating these diseases, and possibly related conditions, as well.