Rheumatoid Arthritis May Not Be Autoimmune Disease
Thursday November 2, 2006
It's a widely accepted theory that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School suggest in a new study that there may be another explanation for what causes rheumatoid arthritis. The disease has been associated with a common sequence of DNA on HLA-DRB genes (also referred to as a shared epitope). Approximately 95 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients have the DNA sequence, though the reason for this association is unclear. HLA genes have previously been linked to antigen recognition and immune function.
The researchers found that the shared epitope may actually be the cause of nitric oxide overproduction which is seen in rheumatoid arthritis patients. According to the study, which has been published in the November 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, nitric oxide production was found to be much higher in patients with the shared epitope. Overproduction of nitric oxide inhibits the natural process which leads to cell death. Resistance to this natural process is commonly seen in cells of the synovium (joint lining) in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
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Photo by Stan Rohrer (iStockphoto)
Comments
Would this type and/or cause of Rheumitod show RA antibodies in a blood test?
The nitric oxide research is very early. If you mean is HLA-DRB detectable, I “think” yes.
No one in my family that I know of has or had RA. How did I get it? Does it skip generations?
The cause is still unknown. Yet there seems to be some link to genetics. I know of no scientific evidence that RA skips a generation. In my family, I have a cousin with RA, and my father developed scleroderma later in life.
I was diagnosed with RA 2 years ago. MY blood test showed high,but when I changed Drs. my new doctor said my ccp antibody test was still showing negative. According to new article I just read should I abe retested?
If you haven’t already, discuss it with your doctor. This article about anti-CCP from rheumatologist Scott J. Zashin, M.D. may be of interest to you as well.
I realize the NO research is early. So a couple things: Have they been able to show that the NO does in fact cause inflammation, pain, etc?
And, if so, is there any thought as to what one could do to “scavenge” the excess NO or suppress its production?
There are other research articles about nitric oxide and inflammation. The language gets quite technical though. Here are just two: Nitric oxide in experimental joint inflammation. Benefit or detriment? and Nitric oxide and superoxide in inflammation and immune regulation.