Infections. Although many bacteria and viruses have been studied, no single organism has been proven to be the primary trigger for the autoimmune response and subsequent damaging inflammation. Higher than average levels of antibodies that react with the common intestinal bacteria E. coli have appeared in the synovial fluid of people with RA. Some experts think they may stimulate the immune system to prolong RA once the disease has been triggered by some other initial infection.
Chemicals. A number of chemicals are being investigated as triggers of rheumatoid arthritis. For example, exposure to silica was associated with RA in a 2003 study. A number of other chemicals are under investigation but it is very difficult to determine causal effects of any specific ones.
Hey JJ
Where did you get this? It's not saying anything I don't believe in but I just want to see if I can chase some of these studies down. I think the E Coli would get out of the intestinal tract via leaky gut...but most researchers don't believe in that either. :-)
Pip
Alos, I think people have to keep in mind that RA has been around for thousands of years, unlike a lot of chemicals we are exposed to. I'm not saying those chemicals don't play a role, but I think many triggers can be found in nature. http://healthguide.howstuffworks.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-in -depth6.htm I got that info here.Hey JJ
I have worked around silica for twenty years. I was dx with RA three years ago.
That's not right GoGo, sorry.
Even AF confuses OA with RA. Look at 1680.
http://ww2.arthritis.org/resources/arthritistoday/2000_archi ves/2000_01_02_TimeLine.asp
http://www.cbmh.ca/archive/00000189/01/cbmhbchm_v7n1buchanan .pdf
This is something we sent back to the old world sometime after Plymouth Rock. Before that they 'only' had mostly AS in England.
Pip
JJ -
The question of how early and how aggressively to treat RA is currently the subject of great debate. Studies have found less joint damage in patients with early, aggressive treatment, particularly with the use of DMARDs and TNF modifiers. Early combination therapy with DMARDs and corticosteroids is also showing good results. Some experts believe that with early aggressive therapy, remissions may be so successful that RA might even be considered potentially curable. There is also evidence that early use of DMARDs may help protect against heart problems, which can be major complications of RA.
It is not fully clear, however, which patients should receive such early aggressive treatment. Of all patients with RA, some will go into remission and remain in remission for the length of their lives even in the absence of treatment, while others will go on to develop active, sometimes severe RA. European researchers found that if the disease subsides within 3 months after diagnosis, patients tend to stay in remission. If disease persists beyond 3 months, it is likely to persist long-term. At this time, the evidence suggests that people who are most likely to develop severe disease have the following characteristics: -
GoGo - seems like you were right. This site has my usual complaint that it doesn't even mention AP and Minocin. It was developed at Harvard (where THE HARVARD PROTOCOL was developed - sheesh!). How many of us would not develop full blown RA etc. if treated with ABX in the beginning?
Pip