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Polymyalgia Rheumatica

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/polymyalgia-rheumatica

What is polymyalgia rheumatica? Polymyalgia rheumatica causes muscle pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulder, and hip. The pain and stiffness usually occur in the morning or when you haven’t been moving for a while. It typically lasts longer than 30 minutes. For most people, the condition develops over time. But for some people it can start quickly – even overnight. In addition to stiffness, you may have a fever, weakness, and weight loss. Polymyalgia rheumatica usually goes away within one year, but it could last several years. People with polymyalgia rheumatica often have giant cell arteritis a disorder associated

Pemphigus

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/pemphigus

What is pemphigus? Pemphigus is a type of disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells in the top layer of skin (epidermis). It causes blisters on the skin and in the mouth, nose, throat, eyes, and genitals. Some forms of pemphigus can cause death if not treated.

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? Your bones are made up of living cells that need a blood supply to stay healthy. In osteonecrosis, blood flow to part of a bone is reduced. This causes death of bone tissue, and the bone can eventually break down and the joint will collapse. Osteonecrosis can happen to any bone, but most often it develops in the ends of long bones, such as the: Thigh bone. Upper arm bone. Less often, the bones of the elbows, ankles, feet, wrists, and hands are affected. When the disease involves part of a bone in a joint, it can

Sjögren’s Syndrome

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/sjogrens-syndrome

What is Sjögren’s syndrome? Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic (long-lasting) disorder that happens when the immune system attacks the glands that make moisture in the eyes, mouth, and other parts of the body. The main symptoms are dry eyes and mouth, but the disorder may affect other parts of the body. Many people with Sjogren’s syndrome say they feel tired often (fatigue). They also may have joint and muscle pain. In addition, the disease can damage the lungs, kidneys, and nervous system.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/rheumatoid-arthritis

What is rheumatoid arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that mostly affects joints, such as the wrist, hands, feet, spine, knees, and jaw. In joints, RA causes inflammation that leads to: Pain. Swelling Stiffness. Loss of function. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder because the immune system attacks the healthy joint tissues. Normally, the immune system helps protect the body from infection and disease. RA may cause you to feel unusually tired, to have occasional fevers, and to have a loss of appetite. It also may cause other medical problems in the heart, lungs, blood, nerves, eyes

Spinal Stenosis

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/spinal-stenosis

What is spinal stenosis? Spinal stenosis happens when the spaces in the spine narrow and create pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that comes out of the base of the brain and runs down the center of the spine. The nerve roots branch out from the cord. In spinal stenosis, the narrowing usually occurs over time.

Fibrous Dysplasia

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibrous-dysplasia

What is fibrous dysplasia? Fibrous dysplasia happens when abnormal fibrous (scar-like) tissue replaces healthy bone. The fibrous tissue weakens the bone over time, which can lead to: Broken bones. Bones that are misshapen (bowed or crooked). The disease can affect any bone in the body. Some people have no symptoms or only a few symptoms. Other people may have more symptoms. Although there is no cure for fibrous dysplasia, treatments may help to lessen pain, and physical therapy may help strengthen muscle and improve movement.

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

New rheumatoid arthritis drug targets NIH-discovered protein

https://www.niams.nih.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rheumatoid-arthritis-drug-targets-protein

Media Availability What: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new oral medication for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that represents a new class of drugs for the disease. The drug, tofacitinib (Xeljanz), provides a new treatment option for adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to, or who are intolerant of, methotrexate, a standard therapy for the disease. Affecting nearly 1.5 million adults, rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in the joints. It occurs when the immune system, which normally defends

International Team Identifies Biomarker for Scleroderma

https://www.niams.nih.gov/newsroom/spotlight-on-research/international-team-identifies-biomarker-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

Long-term Follow-up Data From Large Orthopaedic Studies May Help Guide Clinical Practice

https://www.niams.nih.gov/newsroom/spotlight-on-research/long-term-follow-data-large

Musculoskeletal conditions like spinal stenosis and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in the knee affect people of all ages and can be debilitating. Recently reported long-term data from two large-scale studies funded in part by the NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases provide clinically valuable insights into the outcomes associated with treatments for these common, and sometimes costly, orthopaedic problems. Benefits of surgery for spinal stenosis diminish over time Data from the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) suggest that patients with severe low back pain caused by common spinal conditions who undergo surgery initially have

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