Study shows rheumatoid arthritis begins years before symptoms appear

Scientists have discovered that rheumatoid arthritis RA silently starts years earlier long before symptoms appear an advance that may pave the way for earlier treatment and preventionRA is a debilitating autoimmune disease that causes painful joint inflammation and damageThe new research published in the journal Science Translational Medicine reveals that during the early phase of RA the body fights an autoimmune battle invisiblyThis wasnt a localised joint inflammation but rather a bodywide inflammatory state that resembles whats seen in people with active RAOverall we hope this study raises awareness that rheumatoid arthritis begins much earlier than previously thought and that it enables researchers to make datadriven decisions on strategies to disrupt disease development said Mark Gillespie assistant investigator at the Allen Institute USDuring the sevenyear study researchers tracked several people carrying ACPA antibodies known biomarkers for individuals at risk for developing RA They also identified previously unknown factors associated with disease development including widespread inflammation immune cell dysfunction and cellular reprogrammingThe team found that among people at risk of RA several types of immune cells had significant abnormalities B cells which normally produce protective antibodies had shifted toward a proinflammatory stateFurther T helper cells particularly a subset resembling Tfh17 cells were dramatically expanded beyond normal levelsPerhaps most remarkably the study found that even naive T cells immune cells that havent encountered threats before showed epigenetic changesThe researchers also identified monocytes a type of white blood cell in the bloodstream that were producing high levels of inflammatory moleculesSignificantly these blood cells closely resembled the macrophages found in the inflamed joint tissue of RA patients suggesting the disease process was already preparing to target jointsThe study reveals new earlywarning signs biomarkers and immune signatures that could help doctors identify who among atrisk individuals is most likely to develop RA enabling more targeted monitoring and earlier interventionIf caught early RA could be stopped before it starts saving patients years of pain and disabilityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever