Psoriatic Arthritis And Stem Cell Therapy

Stem Cell Therapies

Stem Cell Therapy

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease in that occurs in individuals that are affected by autoimmune disease psoriasis. Psoriasis is a condition in which there are red patches on the skin with a silvery layer that looks like scales on the top. Generally, people are initially affected by psoriasis, before they have psoriatic arthritis. However, the inflammation and disease of the joint might begin before they present with skin lesions. The classic characteristics of this disease are the inflammation of the extremities, particularly the fingers and toes. They usually do have a sausage-like appearance. This is often accompanied by defects in the nail, such as pitting and the separation of the nail from the nailbed. Genetics have been implicated as one of the most important factors that lead to the development of Psoriatic arthritis. Excess weight also increases the risk of having this disease. According to statistics, an average of thirty percent of people affected by psoriasis later present with Psoriatic arthritis. In addition, this disease has been reported to be less predominant in some certain parts of the world, and people from places such as Africa and Asia. Besides the use of medications, stem cell therapy has a lot of potential in the treatment of this disease

What Are The Causes Of Psoriatic Arthritis?

Psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the body immune system fails to recognize some body tissues and then proceed to attack them. The immune system perceives some tissues as foreign, so they tend to injure and destroy them. This is what happens in Psoriatic arthritis. In this case, the immune cells attack the joints and cause various degrees of inflammatory reactions. This usually leads to swelling and pain, causing a lot of discomfort to the individual. The reason for this immune system disorder is not known yet, however, there have been suggestions that this might be as a result of a combination of factors. The factors involved are usually genetics and environmental factors. Researchers have been able to identify some genetic markers that might be associated with this disease. Mechanical and physical traumas have also been implicated in the development of this disease. Infections could also be a trigger for the disease. This includes viral and bacterial infections.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Psoriatic Arthritis?

The classic symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are usually joint pain, rigidity, and swelling. This usually occurs in more than one joint of the body. The joints affected usually appear swollen, red and warm when touched. About fifteen percent cases of this disease present with symmetrical arthritis. On the other hand, about 70% are asymmetrical oligoarthritis. This basically means that an average of one to four joints is affected by this disease in the initial 6 months of the disease. The most commonly affected joints are the proximal interphalangeal joints, the distal interphalangeal, and the metacarpophalangeal joints. Also, this disease also does affect other parts of the body, such as the wrists, the nails, the lower part of the back, and even the sacrum. Patients can also feel discomfort in their feet. There have also been cases where people affected by the disease presents with chronic fatigue syndrome. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition in which an individual feels tired consistently for at least 6 months. This kind of fatigue does not resolve with rest. This disease can resolve by itself after a while, and can also progress to severe forms. Severe Psoriatic arthritis can lead to the destruction of the joints if left untreated. This is why it is important to get a diagnosis as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment help significantly in preventing the destruction of the joints.

What Are The Risk Factors For Psoriatic Arthritis?

These are conditions or factors that could predispose people, or increase the chances of having this disease. Some of these risk factors are;

  1. Age: Even though psoriatic arthritis can affect anyone, it’s more predominant among people between the age bracket of thirty to fifty years old.
  2. Heredity: People who have relatives or siblings that have this disease have a higher risk of being affected by psoriatic arthritis.
  3. Psoriasis: This disease is the most important factor for having psoriatic arthritis. This is more predominant in people who present with psoriatic lesions on their nails.

What Are The Complications Of Psoriatic Arthritis?

Psoriatic arthritis when untreated or well managed can lead to various types of complications. As an illustration, a small fraction of people affected by this disease do develop arthritis mutilans; this condition is the severely painful form of psoriatic arthritis. It is capable of incapacitating the patient. As time progresses, arthritis mutilans can damage the bones of the hands, particularly the bones of the finger, which might eventually lead to the permanent defect and disability of the extremities.

In addition, people affected by this disease might develop visual problems. For example, there have been reported cases where psoriatic arthritis patients presented with conjunctivitis, uveitis, and blurred vision. This disease has also been linked to cardiovascular diseases.

How Is Psoriatic Arthritis Currently Treated?

Since the pathogenesis of this disease is mostly due to inflammation, treatment methods are usually focused on reducing and controlling inflammation. Below are some of the medications used in the treatment of this disease;

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Examples of drugs are aspirin, ibuprofen and so on. The function of the medication is to reduce or eliminate the abnormal inflammatory process. It also relieves pain and makes the life of the patients more comfortable.

Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs: These medications function by reducing the progression of the disease. In addition to this, they also protect the joints from damage, due to inflammation.

Surgery: Surgery is done especially when the joints of the patient have already been destroyed. The joint can be entirely replaced with artificial joints.

Stem Cell Therapy Of Psoriatic Arthritis

Stem cells are unique cells that are capable of regenerating and proliferating. These cells also have the ability to repair and replace damaged tissues. This is what makes stem cell therapy suitable for treating joint diseases, especially psoriatic arthritis. Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to hone on damaged tissues. They also can be introduced directly into the affected parts of the body.

 References

Chandran, V., Schentag, C. and Gladman, D. (2007). The sensitivity of the classification of psoriatic arthritis criteria in early psoriatic arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 57(8), pp.1560-1563.

Coutts, M., Soriano, R., Naidoo, R. and Torfi, H. (2017). Umbilical cord blood stem cell treatment for a patient with psoriatic arthritis. World Journal of Stem Cells, 9(12), pp.235-240.

Gonzalez, J. and Gottlieb, A. (2016). Review of the Health Assessment Questionnaire Use in Psoriatic Arthritis. Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, 1(2), pp.74-79.

Wu, J. (2016). Brodalumab, An Anti-IL17RA Monoclonal Antibody, for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, 1(3), pp.91-91.