Cure Research for Osteoarthritis
Curable Types of Osteoarthritis
Possibly curable or rare types of Osteoarthritis include:
Rare Types of Osteoarthritis:
Some rare types of Osteoarthritis include:
Latest Treatments for Osteoarthritis
Some of the more recent treatments for Osteoarthritis include:
Treatments for Osteoarthritis
Treatments to consider for Osteoarthritis may include:
Medical Research Breakthroughs and Osteoarthritis
Stem cells to be used in osteoarthritis: Stem cells that can be produced in large numbers and can be used in the
treatment of osteoarthritis have been discovered in adult cartilage. According to
scientists at Cardiff University in Wales, UK the partially derived cell called
progenitor cell is found within the articular cartilage of adults. Although this
particular cell can’t become any cell in the body like a full stem cell, it has
the ability to become the cells that make up the body’s cartilage. However scientists
claim that that they have identified a cell which when grown in the lab can
produce enough of a person’s own cartilage that it could be effectively
transplanted. The next step is to do animal trials and if they are successful,
scientists hope to start clinical trials next year. Scientists believe their
research could lead to real benefits for arthritis sufferers and especially
younger active patients with cartilage lesions that can progress to full scale
osteoarthritis.
Cure Research discussion for Osteoarthritis:
Handout on Health Osteoarthritis: NIAMS (Excerpt)
For years, scientists thought that osteoarthritis was
simply a disease of "wear and tear" that occurred in joints as people
got older. In the last decade, however, research has shown that there is
more to the disorder than aging alone. The production, maintenance, and
breakdown of cartilage, as well as bone changes in osteoarthritis, are
now seen as a series or "cascade" of events. Many researchers are trying
to discover where in that cascade of events things go wrong. By
understanding what goes wrong, they hope to find new ways to prevent or
treat osteoarthritis. Some key areas of research are described below.
Animal Models: Animals help researchers understand
how diseases work and why they occur. In osteoarthritis, animal models
help researchers learn many things about osteoarthritis. They help
reveal what happens to cartilage, how treatment strategies might work,
and what might prevent the disease. Animal models also help scientists
study osteoarthritis in very early stages, before it causes joint
damage.
Diagnostic Tools: Some scientists want to find ways
to detect osteoarthritis at earlier stages so that they can treat it
earlier. They seek specific abnormalities in the blood, joint fluid, or
urine of people with the disease. Other scientists use new technologies
to analyze differences in cartilage from different joints. For example,
many people have osteoarthritis in the knees or hips, but few have it in
their ankles. Can ankle cartilage be different? Does it age differently?
Answering these questions will help us understand the disease better.
Genetic Studies: Researchers suspect that
inheritance plays a role in 25 to 30 percent of osteoarthritis cases.
Scientists have identified a mutation (a gene defect) affecting
collagen, an important part of cartilage in patients with an inherited
kind of osteoarthritis that starts at an early age. The mutation weakens
collagen protein, which may break or tear more easily under stress.
Scientists are looking for other mutations in osteoarthritis. In the
future, a test to determine who carries the genetic defect (or defects)
could help people reduce their risk for osteoarthritis with lifestyle
adjustments.
Comprehensive Treatment Strategies: Effective
treatment for osteoarthritis takes more than drugs or surgery. Getting
help from a variety of care professionals can often improve patient
treatment and self-care. (See Health Professionals Who Treat
Osteoarthritis.) Research shows that adding patient education and social
support is a low-cost, effective way to decrease pain and reduce the
amount of medicine used.
Exercise plays a key part in comprehensive treatment.
Researchers are studying exercise in greater detail, finding out just
how to use it in treating or preventing osteoarthritis. For example,
several scientists have looked at knee osteoarthritis and exercise. They
have found that
-
The level of muscle strength in the thigh muscle
(quadriceps) is very important. Strengthening this muscle can relieve
symptoms and prevent more damage.
-
Walking can result in better functioning and increased
walking distance.
-
People with knee osteoarthritis who were active in an
exercise program feel less pain. They also function better.
Research has shown that losing extra weight can help
people with osteoarthritis. Most important, weight loss may reduce the
risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee in overweight or obese
people.
Using NSAIDs: Many patients have pain that persists
despite the use of simple pain relievers like acetaminophen. Some of
these patients use NSAIDs instead. Health care providers are concerned
about long-term NSAID use because dangerous side effects can result.
Scientists are working to design and test new, safer NSAIDs. One example
currently available is a class of drugs called COX-2 inhibitors. These
medicines relieve symptoms and are less likely to produce serious side
effects such as stomach ulcers and bleeding, which are associated with
long-term NSAID use.
Drugs to Prevent Joint Damage: No treatment
actually prevents osteoarthritis or reverses or blocks the disease
process once it begins. Present treatments just relieve the symptoms.
Researchers are looking for drugs that would prevent, slow down, or
reverse joint damage. One experimental antibiotic drug, doxycycline, may
stop certain enzymes from damaging cartilage. The drug has responded
well in clinical studies, but more studies are needed. Researchers are
also studying growth factors or other natural chemical messengers. These
potential medicines may be able to stimulate cartilage growth or repair.
Acupuncture: Licensed acupuncture therapists insert
very fine needles into the skin at various points on the body.
Scientists think that the needles stimulate the release of natural,
pain-relieving chemicals produced by the brain or the nervous system.
Researchers are looking at acupuncture treatment of patients who have
knee osteoarthritis. Early findings suggest that traditional Chinese
acupuncture is effective in some patients as an additional therapy for
osteoarthritis, reducing pain and improving function.
Nutritional Supplements: Nutritional supplements
are often reported as helpful in treating osteoarthritis. Such reports
should be viewed with caution, however, since very few studies have
carefully evaluated the role of nutritional supplements in
osteoarthritis.
-
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Both of these
nutrients are found in small quantities in food and are components of
normal cartilage. Scientific studies on these two nutritional
supplements have not yet shown that they affect the disease. They may
relieve symptoms in some patients, however. The National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIH is supporting a clinical
trial to test whether either glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate alone,
or in combination with each other, reduces pain and improves function.
Patients using this therapy should do so only under the supervision of
their doctor, as part of an overall treatment program with exercise,
relaxation, and pain relief.
-
Vitamins D and C. Progression of the disease appears to
be less in patients with high levels of vitamin D or C intake. More
studies are needed to confirm these reports.
Hyaluronic Acid: Injecting this substance into the
knee joint provides long-term pain relief for some people with
osteoarthritis. Hyaluronic acid is a natural component of cartilage and
joint fluid. It lubricates and absorbs shock in the joint. The Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved this therapy for patients
with osteoarthritis of the knee if they do not get relief from exercise,
physical therapy, or simple analgesics. Researchers are testing whether
hyaluronic acid can slow down the progression of osteoarthritis.
Estrogen: In studies of older women, scientists
found a lower risk of osteoarthritis in women who had used oral
estrogens for hormone replacement therapy. The researchers suspect that
low estrogen levels could increase risk for the disease. Further studies
are needed to answer this question.
Tissue Engineering: This technology involves
removing cells from the body and replacing them to improve certain body
functions. NIAMS researchers are exploring three types of tissue
engineering for use in treating osteoarthritis.
-
Enzyme engineering. Certain body chemicals called
enzymes may help cartilage break down. Scientists are working to
genetically engineer cells that would inhibit these enzymes and
prevent the damage they cause. Cells are removed from the body,
genetically changed, and then injected back into the affected joint.
They live in the joint and protect it from damaging enzymes.
-
Cartilage cell replacement. Researchers remove cartilage
cells from the patient's own joint, clone or grow new cells using
tissue culture and other laboratory techniques, and inject the newly
grown cells into the patient's joint. Patients with cartilage cell
replacement have decreased osteoarthritis symptoms. Actual cartilage
repair is limited, however.
-
Stem cell transplantation. Stem cells are primitive
cells that can transform into other kinds of cells, such as muscle or
bone cells. They are usually taken from bone marrow. In the future,
researchers hope to insert stem cells into cartilage where they will
make new cartilage. If successful, this process could be used to
repair damaged cartilage and avoid the need for surgical joint
replacements with metal or plastics.
(Source: excerpt from
Handout on Health Osteoarthritis: NIAMS)
Questions and Answers About Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases: NIAMS (Excerpt)
Researchers are working to understand what role certain
enzymes play in the breakdown of joint cartilage in osteoarthritis and
are testing drugs that block the action of these enzymes. In addition, a
gene that may be linked to an inherited form of osteoarthritis has
recently been discovered. (Source: excerpt from Questions and Answers About Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases: NIAMS)
Medical research for Osteoarthritis: medical news summaries:
The following medical news items
are relevant to medical research for Osteoarthritis:
Osteoarthritis Treatment: Book Excerpts
Clinical Trials for Osteoarthritis
Some of the clinical trials for Osteoarthritis include:
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