BACKGROUNDRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of synovial tissue, leading to destruction of the joint architecture. The hallmark of the disease is a symmetric polyarthritis characteristically involving the small joints of the hands and feet. The inflammatory process can also target other organs, typically bone marrow (anemia), eye (scleritis, episcleritis), lung (interstitial pneumonitis, pleuritis), cardiac (pericarditis) and skin (nodules, leukocytoclastic vasculitis). Systemic inflammation is characterized by laboratory abnormalities, such as anemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) and by clinical symptoms of fatigue, weight loss, and muscle atrophy in affected joint areas. The presence of polyclonal high-titer rheumatoid factors and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies provides evidence of immune dysregulation. It is recognized that cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), play a role in joint inflammation and cartilage damage observed in RA.
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Interesting that ra targets lungs and cardiac |
