12/2/10 New research is homing in on types of bacteria in the body that may be associated with some autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, or RA.
At the recent American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting, researchers said that they think specific bacteria that live in the mouth and intestines activate cells that promote inflammation.
“The most important point is that we are now able to answer some of these questions and may be able to better understand potential triggering factors that lead to joint inflammation in RA and other diseases,” says Jose U. Scher, MD, director of New York University’s new Microbiome Center for Rheumatology and Autoimmunity and one of the lead investigators in the study. “We need to be cautious because this hypothesis generates expectations from doctors and patients, and the reality is that there is a lot of work ahead of us before we can come up with conclusions.”
In the study, researchers from New York University’s Langone Medical Center used cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology to identify 100 percent of the bacteria in the mouth and intestines of eight people recently diagnosed with RA, three with psoriatic arthritis and nine who were healthy and didn’t have an autoimmune disease. “What we are doing is testing an old hypothesis with 21st-century technologies,” Dr. Scher explains.
Researchers say the new technology is allowing them to see some differences in those with autoimmune diseases and those without. The RA patients, for example, had more of a bacterial family called prevotellaceae in their intestinal fecal samples, and more of a type of oral bacteria called porphyromonas genus, than healthy patients had.
“We can say we have preliminary results looking at a particular set of bacteria that may seem present at a higher abundance in patients with RA,” Dr. Scher says. “Now we have the technological tools to look at this question, but we can not say we have an answer yet.”
David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., says the fact that researchers can find and identify hundreds if not thousands of bacteria types provides a level of detail never before seen. He believes that will go a long way in highlighting differences in people with RA from those without it.
“It’s part of an entirely new direction in analyzing the relationship between infection and disease,” Dr. Pisetsky says. “We are filled with bacteria. It’s probably stimulating or modifying our immune system and the question is, are there particular bacteria that would make you more or less likely to get a disease?”
Because studies looking into the relationship of bacteria and autoimmune disease are small and in early stages, it’s hard to tell what, if anything, the information means to patients now, Dr. Pisetsky adds. “I am going to follow [this emerging area of research] with interest to see how it develops.”
I was diagnosed with AS more then 2 decades.
Remicade stop to help. Now i am on Hummira that does not help too much.
I recall that every time when I got Gentamicine ( kind of antibiotic) injection was improvement in my joint swelling and pains.(reason for injection was not related to AS disease).
Oct. 2009 I started taking doxycycline and Nystatin (to kill the bacteria in my colon). I took my last Humira in Dec. 2009 and have been on the anti-biotics and Nystatin since then.
I have had a few flare ups, but stopped methotrexate and took three Humira injections in 2010. Only time will tell, but I think it needs to be researched more.
My Internist has long held that current medical practices only treat the symptoms, not the cause.
Steroids were really the only thing that helped at first but now I take Methotrexate (which didn't help at all by itself) and remicade infusions. The Remicade makes my symptoms almost go away.
Strangely my pain is mostly in my shoulders and sternum, but it can be debilitating - especially when having to carry young children. The hand and foot pain started about a year ago after the birth of my 3rd child. Anyway - thought I was share as there are a lot of stories on here where people had their first Arthritis flare right after getting Strep Throat.
I've have had RA for 3 yrs. I'm on Methotrexate and Ibuprofen for the discomfort and salt water 92 degrees therapeutic pool for exercise. When I was diagnosed I was part of a study that put me on Methotrexate and Humera. It really helped my RA. I'm almost in a remission. When my tongue bothers me I use baking soda to brush my teeth or make a paste. It helps. I read it on the internet when I had a sore on my gums. It works. All the best. Carol from NH
In November 2010 I had an abscessed tooth requiring oral surgery called Apeco. I was placed on 500mg Erythromycin 3x's a day 5 days before surgery and for the following week.End of first week doctor still saw infection and continued the antibiotic. Second week after surgery, still infection and pain and I was continued on that antibiotic. End of 4th week the oral surgeon was out of town and I was in pain with swollen gum where surgery was done and my tongue was on fire and raw. I saw my dentist
who upon examination extracted the tooth and took me off the Erythromycin. I said I thought I might have Thrush since my tongue was inflamed. He put me on oral medicine which I was to hold in my mouth and then swallow. Two weeks of that and my tongue is still a source of great discomfort. It either feel like it's mentholated or burning.
My PCP gave me a strong medicine of 1 pill to see if that would do it. It did not. Tried it again...again it failed.
It is now January 1,2011. I still have this burning/mentholated tongue.
Has anyone got a suggestion for me?
ago.At age 62 I was placed on a cholesterol medication by my PCP in October 2004. The medication was Vytorin taken in pill form daily. In mid December 2004 I was on vacation in Hawaii and noticed that although I had not moved a muscle and no one had touched me, I began to feel as though I had been punched in the arm, the thigh and leg from inside my body. Each day I awoke in more pain ever increasing to the point it was difficult to get out of bed. In addition the entire 2 weeks there the islands experienced devestating rain storms daily . By the time I flew home via 3 separate flights to south Florida I could hardly sit in the airplane seat as the pain and throbbing was so strong.I squirmed for hours. Please note that the aircraft seats in all 3 flights going to Hawaii were the exact same seat design as going home. I was totally comfortable when I flew to Hawaii and in extreme pain flying home. Once home I degenerated to point that I could barely turn over in bed. I called my PCP who directed me to stop the Vytorin at once. I did so and 2 weeks later I informed the doctor that my pain level had decreased only by 50%. He sent me to a Rheumatologist and tests conformed I had RA.
I suspect that the Vytorin drug (a statin drug) precipitated or triggered the auto immune response setting the stage for RA.
Thank you for any suggestions.
Jackie
Please refer to http://www.facebook.com/pages/RA-Cure/150202395028714#!/ where I am trying to keep as much information as possible.
Joyce Hartranft - 3 or 4 years back, I had my thumb swell up in the nuckles and it hurt real bad. I got a digital TENS UNIT lg 7000 OFF THE WEB - I put the pads on for a few treatments and all the swelling went away, all the pain, and it has been just fine ever since. I forgot what I paid, you might find one cheaper. Mine was from www.lgmedsupply.com.
Larry, I am going to look at that Marshall Protocol. I'm 68 now, and for last 20 months, I have had a horrible case of PSORIASIS (NO CURE) and now I read it maybe autoimune. My body attacking itself. I may have other autoimune problems with ANEMIA, INTRINIC FACTOR.
It is hard to find a good doctor or get the correct diagnoses and they give you meds that don't go together and cause other problems that you did not have before. Lucky, I'm still alive. Thanks for the post. RJ
It is hard to sleep at night for me, as my joints ache so much. I take a hot shower, do some stretching, take 375 mg of Naproxen, and put on relaxing music in order to sleep.
I wonder how other people handle the night throbing and aching problems. Let's talk about our own methods and help each other.
Finally about six months ago the Dr gave me some very strong antibiotics to get rid of the helico bacter that was causing the problems. Incisently I was Hc positive.
Any way after the HBP was eradicated, within months I started to have acute knee pain in my left leg suddenly. In about eight days my right knee also became very painful.
All blood tests have come out negative. So has the x- ray of the left foot. MRI is still to be done.
According to a rheumatologist there is no evidence of gout or psoratic arthrites.
I do not know if in the process of clearing the HBP some othr good bacvterior were also killed, thus giving rise to bacterior that are now triggering pain on the knee which is very similar to arthrirites
http://mpkb.org/
Autism is essentially a stealth infection ..read my site for more and how the decline of the honey bee is also linked to inappropriate gut flora
y Site http://yeast-candida-infections-uk.co.uk/
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