Exposure to air pollution, such as high levels of particulate matter from fire smoke and fossil fuel-related nitrogen oxides, may increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and RA-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD), according to Kronzer et al. Their findings highlight the need for improved monitoring of air pollutants and suggest that addressing air pollution may help prevent RA and RA-associated ILD.
Research has found blood tests detect elevations of autoantibody isotypes in patients years before they are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to Kevin Deane, MD, PhD, identifying patients during this pre-RA period may be key to preventing or delaying the onset of RA.
How does a patient transition from health to active SLE? This question is the crux of the research conducted by Judith A. James, MD, PhD, and colleagues…
Hair dye products are commonly used by both men and women to enhance youth and beauty and to follow fashion trends. As reported in the medical literature, hair dyes and their ingredients are associated with allergic contact dermatitis. A possible association with joint inflammation has also been recognized. There is literature to support that para-phenylenediamine…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Changes in atmospheric and environmental factors may contribute to organ-specific disease exacerbation in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a new study. The study found “strong associations between atmospheric variables and fine particulate matter concentration over the 10 days prior to a patient visit and organ-specific lupus flares at the…
Researchers who devote their time to studying lupus are accustomed to considering environmental stimuli such as sunshine and cigarettes. But according to Gregg J. Silverman, MD, a professor in the Department of Medicine and in the Department of Pathology at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and co-director of the Musculoskeletal Center of…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A large population-based study from the U.K. provides more evidence that some autoimmune liver diseases may be triggered by exposure to something in the environment. The study found a significant clustering of cases of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in well-defined regions of north-east England…
Could your lupus patients benefit from limiting exposure to chemicals at home and in the medical environment? It’s a strong possibility, according to the preliminary findings of a research team investigating DNA methylation disruption in patients with SLE…
Gut microbiota may provide insight into important environmental triggers for autoimmune diseases. New research in mice indicates that intestinal dysbiosis triggers a mucosal immune response that stimulates T and B cells, which are critical to the development of inflammatory arthritis…
The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may be unable to meet certain energetic demands, according to a U.K. study. Researchers found that PBMCs in healthy individuals may adapt to environmental stressors by enhancing their ability to increase ATP production through mitochondrial respiration, but not in patients with CFS…