Rheumatoid Arthritis Flashcards
LO
Focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and how it affects patients
Understand its:
Epidemiology
Manifestations
Co-morbidities
Classification criteria
Early treatment requirements
Pt 2
- Risk factors
- shared epitope hypothesis
- role of autoantibodies
Pt3
- understand major cellualr + soluble factors involved in RA pathogenesis
Pt4
- understand current treatment strategies for RA+ consider future drug targets
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
autoimmune disease w chronic synovial inflammation that -> destruction of articular cartilage + bone
what does the chronic and persistent synovial inflammation lead to?
destruction of articular cartilage and bone
this causes a decline in joint function and progressive disability, what is the typical age range of onset?
40-70
what is the condition called if diagnosed below the age of 18
juvenile ideopathic arthritis
which gender is this more common in?
women
difference between amount of treatment options available for OA and RA?
OA: no treatment
RA: lots. can be treated better if diagnosed EARLIER
which two areas on the body are common sites for symmetrical polyarthritis and associated with pain and swelling?
small joints of hands and feet
do patients often experience pain in the morning or at night time which resolves throughout the day as the patient moves around?
morning
what lab features would you expect to see in a patient with RA?
↑ CRP and ESR,
presence of autoantibodies RF and ACPA
ultrasound showing erosive joint
why does RA improve with movement throughout day while OA gets worse?
RA: caused by swelling and oedema in joints. gets better w movement
how does level of acute phase reactants change in RA and give an example of type
increased
CRP
What joint does RA not typically involve?
axial skeleton - spine
AS (anylosing spondylitis) mainly affects which joint in which gender
mainly axial joints in men
RA is charactetrised by what pattern of joint involvement?
symmetrical.
predom hands and feet
synovium: thin memb few cells thick. what does it produce and why?
synovial fluid to allow joint to move
how can RA -> bone erosion and thinning of the cartilage
swollen inflamed synovial memb
becomes thicker + expands + influx of immune cells into it
makes whole thing get in way of normal joint funcn as its so swollen
how do OA and RA differ in terms of synovium?
OA: little/ no swelling
+ disease manifests initially as bone and cartilage surfaces
RA: swollen inflamed synovial memb
invasive synovium is called…
panus
starting to eat away at cartilage and bone
what systemic co morbidities are associated with this disease?
athersclerosis + heart disease,
vasculitis
lung inflammation + resistant scarring
why do patients being treated for RA have an infection risk?
immunosuppressed due to treatment with anti TNF + corticosteroids
comorbidities decrease life expectancy by average of 10 yrs. what can this be improved by?
earlier + better treatment
do patients with RA have a higher or lower risk of lung cancer and lymphoma?
higher
what changes can a patient make to reduce their RA symptoms and thus systemic inflammation?
stop smoking, control weight, bp and cholesterol and early and effective treatment
under the RA 1987 classification (american rheumatism association criteria) the patient must satisfy 4 out of 7 criteria at least. How long do criteria 1-4 need to be present for?
at least 6 weeks
why is the 2010 classfication superior to the 1987 one?
involves serology and acute phase reactants
what are the 4 criteria in the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria for classification of RA?
joint involvement
serology
acute phase reactants
duration of symptoms
what results in delays in px attending GP about RA? to do w symptoms
initial symptoms may come on gradually and often vague (tiredness, aches, pains)
sometimes assumed to be due to old age/ overuse
what is RA often confused w, esp in early stages?
arthritides
list some of the risk factors of RA?
- Age
- female gender (3:1)
- genetic predispositions
- environmental risk factors
What are examples of genetic predispositions to RA?
- HLA-DBR1 gene variants (shared-epitope)
- single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in PTPN22, CTLA4, STAT4, IL-6, NF-Kb, PAD enzymes
…. no 1 gene identified as cause BUT know some combinations likely to increase chance of RA
What are the environmental risk factors for RA?
- Smoking
- dust/silica exposure
- microbes: P. gingivalis
the shared epitope is an HLA DRB1 encoded 5 amino acid sequence motif carried by majority of RA patients and is a risk factor for severe disease.
What is the possible mechanism that drives disease?
acts as signal transduction ligand, activates nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species production,
enhances polarization of Th17 cells: key mechanism in autoimmunity
for patients with no ACPA but still have RA, is the presence of PTPN and smoking still relevant in increasing the risk of developing the disease?
no, link is only strong in ACPA positive patients
together w ACPA- positive RA, what factor increases risk of RA?
smoking
but just bc higehr risk doesnt mean youll get the disease
what do rheumatoid factor (RFs) recognise
= autoantibodies, recognise Fc portion of IgG
why can RF not be used alone to diagnose RA?
not specific and RF antibodies present in many diseases.
what peptide assay broadly detects antibodies against ACPAs and has high specificity + excellent sensitivity in RA?
anti-CCP assay
why are polymorphisms in PAD enzymes associated with severe disease?
citrullination of arginine -> citrulline which then generates autoantibodies
name some risk factors associated with RA that induce/increase ACPA formation?
periodontal disease,
air polutants and smoke
dysbiotic microbiota
…. as ↑ cittrulination of proteins thus ↑ chances of getting autoantibodies to citrullinate proteins
peptidylarginine deiminases: family of enzymes that mediate post-translational modifications of protein arginine residues to produce…
citrulline.
why is early treatment key?
prevents irreversible bone damage
list the cells that migrate into the joints from the blood?
neutrophils,
dendritic cells,
effector and regulatory T cells
B cells
role of neutrophils in ra
arrive early in inflammn
make chemokines to recruit other cells (IL)17
role of dendritic cells in ra
activate T cells w antigen, costimulatory mols + cytokines
- IL12 and 23 turn T cells on
- IL10 turn T cells off (Possible future cell therapy)