RA STEVE DARBY Flashcards
what is RA?
chronic inflammatory disorder affecting approximately 0.5-1% of the UK population
inflammation within synovial joints, causing pain, swelling and stiffness and progressing to erosion and eventually joint destruction. .
what kind of disorder is RA?
systemic autoimmune inflammatory disorder and may cause extra-articular manifestations affecting blood vessels, bone marrow, GI tract, skin, lungs and eyes.
when do people usually develop RA?
symptom onset > 25 years of age - usually 5th decade of life
what ethnicity are most likely to get ra?
caucasions
what are RA symptoms?
swelling, stiffness, pain and redness
why does swelling occur in RA?
Synovial tissue in the caps of joints becomes damaged in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, causing the tissue to thicken and swell.
why does stiffness occur in RA?
Inflamed joints tend to stiffen and are difficult to move correctly. People who have RA experience stiff joints, especially in the mornings or after long periods of rest. This can last for hours at a time.
why does pain occur in RA?
Cartilage and bone within the joints will wear down over time. Joints are supported by surrounding muscles, ligaments and tendons, but, with RA, these will weaken and no longer stabilize joints. This causes intense pain and joint damage as a result.
why does redness occur in RA?
joints can be warm and may appear pink (or even red) on the outside during a flare or when inflamed.
what symptoms would you get in early stage RA in your hands?
fixed flexion (buttonhole or boutonnière deformity) or fixed hyperextension(swan-neck deformity) of the PIP joints, which impairs hand function.
•Swelling and dorsal subluxation of the ulnar styloid, which causes wrist pain. It may also cause rupture of the finger extensor tendons, leading to a sudden drop of the little and ring fingers that requires urgent surgical repair.
what would a healthy bone and joint look like?
- Articular cartilage provides a lubricated surface for the opposing bones of the joint
- The synovial membrane produces and contains synovial fluid for the joint
- The synovial fluid helps remove debris and provide lubrication
what causes RA?
•Precise Cause remains largely unknown •Genetic / Environmental trigger •Combination of genetics and environmental •Leads to generation of AUTOANTIGENS •Autoantigens >autoimmune response
how does a persons genetics influence their sucebalility to RA?
Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) – a complex of genes on chr6 that regulate the immune system
•MHC I and MHC II complex
•Patients with genetic alterations to HLA-DR1 and / or HLA-DR4 alleles are associated with increased risk of RA
•PTP2N22mutation - encodes a protein tyrosine phosphatase, which participates in activation and control of inflammatory cells, including T cells.
what are some of the environmental factors that lead to environmental arthritogen?
- EBV, retroviruses, parvoviruses
- M.tuberculosis
- Mycoplasma
- Gut Bacterium
- Smoking
- Airborne pollutants
- Gum disease..!!•Obesity
- Hormones
- Diet
- Citrullinated proteins
what is cutrullination of proteins?
Citrullination is a post translational conversion of arginine to citrulline in proteins by an enzyme called Peptidyl Arginine Deminiase(PA D)
what happens in RA with cutrullination of proteins?
In RA this is pathological and it becomes dysregulated and can lead to alterations of proteins in the synovium >HYPER-citrullination
Citrullination can lead to autoantigens being formed which are then no longer recognised as self antigens by the immune system
what contributes to the citrullination of proteins and arthritogens?
periodontal infetion
smoking
genetics
these all activated cells an ACPA production
how does periodontal infection lead to citrullination of proteins and arhritogens?
inflamation, apoptosis and necrosis in gingiva, PPAD and PAD release> citrullination of human and bacterial proteins
how does smoking contribute to citrullination of proteins and arthritogens?
inflamation, apoptosis and necrosis in lungs, PAD release
> citrullination of proteins
what is MHC’s role in the immune response?
presents antigens to T cells to activate immune response
HLA-DRβ1 thought to contain a binding site of the arthritogen that initiates the inflammatory synovitis
how does inflammation occur in RA?
auto antigen activates T helper cells
this causes macrophages and fibroblast like synoviocytes to release cytokines, autoantibodies, innate immunity and proteases
how does destruction occur in RA?
T helper cells stimulate fibroblast like synoviocytes and macrophages to release:
pannus, osteoclast activation, somatic mutations, proteases
what is a cytokine?
Cytokines are small secreted proteins released by cells have a specific effect on the interactions and communications between cells.
what do cytokines do?
Bind to cytokine Receptors
•Cytokines have very prominent roles in regulating both the innate and adaptive immune systems, and in the process of inflammation.