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Autoantibodies Predict Future RA in Healthy Relatives of Patients

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a severe and disabling autoimmune disease.  Most treatment strategies in current use attempt to get the disease under control as early as possible to slow progression and minimize disease flare-ups.  There is no real way to prevent this condition, and those afflicted usually have problems over many years...




Then again, maybe some hope for these folks is on the horizon...a five year study of Mexican RA patients and their families has attempted to find a way to predict the disease.  Over the course of the study, the patients and the relatives who agreed to be test subjects were studied periodically for the development of specific auto-antibodies that predict future development of RA.  The goal is to find those who are at high risk for disease development and begin treatment as early as possible.
In this way, it is hoped that the damaging effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis can be slowed/minimized from the get-go.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta presented this information on Med Page Today only a couple of months ago. You can read this very interesting study by clicking here.


 Sources: Med Page Today; Wikimedia
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