Autoimmune arthritis is caused by the immune system attacking the body’s joints and connective tissue, leading to inflammation, pain, and potential deformities. Treatment involves medication and physical therapy, and early intervention is important to prevent severe degeneration and disability. The underlying causes are not well understood, but genetics may play a role.
Autoimmune arthritis is a form of arthritis caused by abnormalities in the immune system that cause the body to attack its own joints and connective tissue. Many different forms of arthritis are recognized and many of these are autoimmune in nature. Some common examples of autoimmune arthritis are ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and juvenile arthritis. This condition can be quite debilitating and difficult to treat, especially if a patient allows the arthritis to progress for some time before seeking medical attention.
In autoimmune arthritis, the immune system identifies proteins that are naturally present in the body as antigens that require a response from the immune system. These proteins are attacked, resulting in inflammation and pain. Over time, repeated immune attacks can lead to degeneration of joints and connective tissue, which can contribute to deformities such as crooked fingers or bending of the spine. The patient usually has mobility issues in addition to chronic pain due to inflammation.
In the early stages, autoimmune arthritis can be relatively mild and the patient may not immediately realize they have a problem. Joints can feel achy, stiff, swollen and painful to the touch, but especially in young people these symptoms may not be addressed until they get worse, as arthritis is often seen as a condition that mainly affects the elderly. As autoimmune arthritis progresses, the pain can become chronic and the joints can become damaged, leading the patient to seek medical attention.
Treatment usually involves the use of medications to fight inflammation and dampen the immune response so that the joints have a chance to heal. The patient can also participate in physical therapy sessions to gently strengthen and stretch the joints so that they maintain flexibility and function. Treatment should be tailored to the patient’s arthritis form, severity, and location. Ideally, some of the damage caused by autoimmune arthritis will be reversed with treatment, and in other cases, treatment can stop or slow the degeneration.
The underlying causes of autoimmune disorders are not well understood. In some cases, they appear to be genetic in nature, with a family history of autoimmune disorders increasing someone’s risks of developing an autoimmune condition. In other cases, an autoimmune disease may be more difficult to predict. Early treatment for such conditions is vital, as they will progressively worsen until treatment is offered, and can cause severe degeneration and disability.
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