Battling Arthritis

According to preliminary testing of a team from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, a heat-retaining sleeve worn around the knee is useful in reducing joint pain and stiffness in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Said Dr. Steven A. Mazzuca of Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and colleagues: More →

Share This

Caused by a form of bacteria (the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi) infecting humans by tick bites – Lyme Disease - typically begins with a bull’s-eye skin rash, accompanied by fever, muscle aches, or other flu-like symptoms.

Sound scary. BUT, if diagnosed early, Lyme can be treated successfully within a month with either oral or intravenous antibiotics.

More →

Share This

Since bone health covers osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, I would like to cover bone health in this post.

Already known risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and a host of other health conditions is obesity.

More →

Share This

Since I started this blog, there are already 4 posts wherein arthritis drugs were mentioned or discuss. And so in this resource –type entry, I would like to put those arthritis drugs on the spotlight.

ANTI-TNF THERAPY

Anti-TNF drugs are drugs that inhibit the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) thereby preventing chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Examples of TNF inhibitors that are currently approved by the FDA to be in the market are the following:

Infliximab (Remicade®)– a product of Centocor Pharmaceuticals. A biologic treatment used for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Chron’s disease in adults, pediatric Chron’s disease, ulcerative colitis and ankylosing spondylitis.

D2E7 Adalimumab (Humira) – a product of Abbott. A medicine called a Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blocker, used in adults to reduce the signs and symptoms of:

• moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults. HUMIRA can be used alone or with methotrexate or with certain other medicines. HUMIRA may prevent further damage to your bones and joints and may help your ability to perform daily activities.
• psoriatic arthritis (PsA). HUMIRA can be used alone or with certain other medicines. HUMIRA may prevent further damage to your bones and joints and may help your ability to perform daily activities.
• ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
• moderate to severe Crohn’s disease (CD) in adults who have not responded well to conventional treatments. HUMIRA is also approved for these adults who have lost response or are unable to tolerate infliximab.

Etanercept (Enbrel®) – a product of Amgen and Wyeth and a biologic oral medication for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), moderate to severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritisJRA), psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

More →

Share This

According to a new report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center (sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), combining one well-known, lower-cost synthetic drug with one of six biologic medications — often works best to reduce joint swelling or tenderness in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Researchers reviewed published evidence to compare the benefits and harms of three classes of medications: synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS), biologic DMARDs, and corticosteroids.

More →

Share This

Hello. I’m reporting back. Huge thanks to Hart for letting you guys know. Last night, the electricity here went back so we thought it is a sign of good news. We were like hawk watching the typhoon update on the internet. Last night typhoon Mina was stationary some 200 kms west off Catanduanes (Philippines) island. Which we do not excatly know if that is completely good — because stationary typhoons are gaining more strength.

And it was unusually calm night. You know, that calm before the storm, it’s really scary.

More →

Share This

Dear Readers …

Your regular author Gloria D. Gamat resides in the area where Super Typhoon Mina hit the Bicol Philippines region last night and may be without electricity for a short while. Our thoughts are with her and her family and we hope to see her back here as soon as practical! In the meantime, I will be filling in with a few articles here and there until Gloria returns. // HART (1-800-HART)

Arthritis can affect many different areas of the body—the hands, shoulders, legs, and even the feet. In fact, two of the most common joints affected by arthritis are the foot and ankle. This can be extremely painful, and it can take a great toll on the affected person’s ability to walk. However, by knowing the symptoms of foot arthritis, you can receive a diagnosis and treatment plan sooner rather than later. More →

Share This

According to a new study from Tufts New England Medical Center, low vitamin D levels may cause greater knee pain and difficulty walking in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis is caused by cartilage breakdown in the knee joint. Factors that increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis include being overweight, age, injury or stress to the joints, and family history can increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis.

More →

Share This

The protein normally involved in blood clotting – fibrin – has been found to play an important role in the inflammatory response and development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Such were the findings of researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. More →

Share This

Much like cancer, in early inflammatory arthritis, higher rates of remission are achieved if treatment is started early with conventional therapies and patients are more closely followed.

Such were the findings of a research which used the Toronto Early Arthritis CoHort. More →

Share This