News and Features Related to Arthritis

1. Rheumatoid Arthritis: New Treatment Target?
   

   June 30, 2009 -- Scientists have found a potential new target for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. That target is an immune system compound called tenascin-C. In a new study, researchers report that tenascin-C is needed to sustain joint inflammation and boosts production of certain inflammatory chemi

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2. New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug in the Works
   

   June 29, 2009 -- An experimental drug called masitinib may ease rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in people who aren't helped by other drugs, a new study shows. That study, published online in Arthritis Research & Therapy, included 40 adults in France who had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that didn't respon

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3. Autoimmune Disease and RA
   

   What do rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes, Graves' disease, and multiple sclerosis have in common? One affects joints, another blood sugar. One puts the thyroid into “overdrive.” And the last condition affects the brain and spinal cord. Although the diseases seem pretty different, there is

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4. Fixing Gums May Help Rheumatoid Arthritis
   

   June 12, 2009 -- Treating severe gum disease may alleviate some of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in people suffering from both conditions. “It was exciting to find that if we eliminated the infection and inflammation in the gums, then patients with a severe kind of active rheumatoid arthritis

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5. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Diabetes
   

   There’s research that suggests a connection between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and diabetes. But the nature of that connection or even whether it’s actually real is unclear. "There are tantalizing links between the two diseases,” says Daniel Solomon, MD, MPH, an associate professor of medicine at Har

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6. Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women
   

   Bess Schear, now age 48, once aspired to be a professional chef, but now she is happy just cooking for her husband, Howard, and their closest friends. But she's not complaining because there was a time when she didn't even think this type of informal cooking was possible. Diagnosed with rheumatoid a

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7. The Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lymphoma
   

   In the spring of 2006, Dora Burke finished her first triathlon with competitive results. When her ankle started hurting soon afterward, she chalked it up to the tough race. But in little over a month, this normally healthy, active mom in her 30s could barely move. Without warning, rheumatoid arthrit

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8. Tai Chi May Ease Arthritis Pain
   

   June 4, 2009 -- Practicing the traditional Chinese martial art tai chi may reduce arthritis pain and disability. That's according to a new research review, published in the June 15 edition of Arthritis Care & Research. The reviewers pooled data from seven studies. Five of the studies included people

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9. Coping With Fatigue, Weakness, and Rheumatoid Arthritis
   

   Most people think of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a disease that causes joint pain. But if you have RA, you know that fatigue and weakness can exact their toll as well. "RA is actually much more than a joint disease," says M. Elaine Husni, MD, MPH. Husni is vice chair of rheumatology and director of

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10. Chinese Herb May Treat Autoimmune Diseases
    

    June 4, 2009 -- A drug derived from an herb used in Chinese medicine for 2,000 years is the first to target specific cells that are overactive in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and other autoimmune diseases. The ancient herb is chang shan, from the root of the blue evergreen hydrangea. It's been u

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