Gene expression study may lead to new arthritis treatments

Mechanisms of pain differ in people with different synovial subtypes of rheumatoid arthritis, scientists report in Arthritis & Rheumatology. The findings were revealed when the team analysed gene expression in synovial tissue samples from joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

“We were surprised to find that some patients had high pain, tenderness, and even swollen joint counts while exhibiting minimal inflammation in their tissue or blood,” explains lead author Dr Dana Orange. “This suggests that some patients can have high disease activity scores with little inflammation. It stands to reason that patients with minimal tissue inflammation may not respond to our usual immune-targeting drugs.”

It is hoped that the new discovery may help research groups develop optimal treatment strategies for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

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