Arthritis simply means inflammation of the joints. The word rheumatism is even more general and is used to describe aches and pains in joints, bones and muscles. There are more than 200 types of arthritis and rheumatic disease. The general symptoms include pain, swelling and stiffness with limitation of joint movement.
According to the Canadian Arthritis Network, more than 4.5 million Canadians live with the disease. The Arthritis Foundation reports than 50 million Americans suffer from the disease.
Arthritis Symptoms Lead to Chronic Pain, Reduced Sleep
Arthritis has an enormous impact on people’s quality of life. The disease results in extended periods of pain, often resulting in chronic pain, reduces sleep, results and depression and sometimes unemployment. Research, often conducted at universities and related medical centers, holds the key to advances in preventing, controlling and curing arthritis.
However, the disease is not just one that afflicts the elderly. According to the Canadian Arthritis Network, the average age of onset is between 41 and 50 and is among the most common chronic diseases in children.
Around the world, university medical centers and schools are leading research with some promising discoveries that provide hope to those suffering from the pain of arthritis.
Relief from Arthritis Focus of Worldwide University Research
The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom is an international leader in arthritis research. At the university, the Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit is a unique research institution internationally, in terms of its major focus being understanding the epidemiology of the major rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders.
The University of Manchester center focuses on clinical epidemiology, such as studying bone health from childhood to a very old age, genetic and genomics and infrastructure, including statistical and database support.
At Harvard Medical School, recent research by an Arthritis Foundation-funded study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital revealed that blood platelets, which are important for stopping bleeding, can enter joints affected by arthritis and form new structures called microparticles. These microparticles can affect the tissues’ lining, causing well-known characteristics of arthritis including joint swelling, warmth and tenderness.
Arthritis Relief Linked to Weight Loss
Another recent arthritis research discovery came from Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. It is well known that obesity has a strong association with osteoarthritis, but it has been assumed that this association is due to the strain on joints caused by excess body weight. This study, however, found that in laboratory mice without a leptin receptor (leptin is secreted by fat cells) in their brains did not develop arthritis even in the face of obesity.
In Canada, the Arthritis & Autoimmunity Research Centre at the University Health Network has combined clinical and applied studies with basic science research to become one of the most comprehensive centers of its kind. Its research team includes leaders in genomic medicine, immunology, health services research, medical imaging, rheumatology, and orthopedics.
Researchers at universities worldwide connect to explore and find cures for the millions of arthritis and rheumatic disease sufferers. Arthritis is a disease affecting people of all ages and universities are providing hope for improved quality of life.
Shelley Aylesworth-Spink - Shelley Aylesworth-Spink has worked in support of communications, marketing and advertising for nearly 25 years in the private and public ...
