Research on Arthritis.
Last updated Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Past researchPost-WWII research Before World War II, little could be done to help people with
arthritis. But during and immediately after the war, a number of
discoveries excited scientists and launched a new emphasis on arthritis
research.
Studies of military recruits linked a strep throat infection to
rheumatic fever. Penicillin proved an effective way to prevent
rheumatic fever as well as to cure arthritis related to many types of
infectious diseases. Rheumatoid factor and the LE cell, two types of
markers in the body for specific types of arthritis, were first
identified during this period. The forties ended with a Nobel Prize for
the discovery that cortisone controlled inflammation.
During the same time, two other things happened outside medical
research to help promote arthritis research. In 1948, the Arthritis
Foundation began to raise voluntary contributions from the public to
fund arthritis research and train new researchers. In 1950, Congress
formed the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases to
provide government funding for arthritis research and research
training.
In the ensuing years, increased support helped researchers better
identify and classify the more than 100 arthritis-related diseases. In
turn, this helped improve diagnosis and allowed development of
specialized treatments for specific types of arthritis.
Since the 1960s, the pace of arthritis research has once again
quickened as it did in the 1940s. There have been major advances in our
ability to recognize and control certain types of arthritis.
For instance, better management of lupus complications increased the
number of people who lived five years or more after diagnosis from 50
to 98 percent. Newer drugs proved effective at reducing pain and
decreasing inflammation as well as, in some cases, actually slowing
disease progress. The use of acrylic cement and the development of high
density plastics helped solve some of the problems in the loosening and
wear of artificial joint replacements. Timeline of arthritis research, 1872-1980 | Year | Discovery | Benefit |
| 1872 | Salicylates (aspirin) | First drug to relieve pain and inflammation |
| 1943 | Penicillin for bacterial infections in joints | Cure of arthritis related to certain infections |
| 1943-52 | Bacterial cause and use of penicillin for strep throat | Prevention of rheumatic fever |
| 1948 | Rheumatoid factor and LE cell | Better diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus |
| 1949 | Cortisone | Control of inflammation |
| 1951 | Immuno-suppressive drugs | Slowed destruction in rheumatoid arthritis |
| 1960 | Total joint replacement | Reduced pain, corrected deformity, restored movement |
| 1961-62 | Identification of urate crystals in joint | Rapid improvement in correct diagnosis of gout |
| 1963-65 | Anti-gout drugs | Control of gout |
| 1963 | Newer nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs | Control of inflammation |
| 1967 | Recognition of polymyalgia rheumatica | Better diagnosis and effective treatment with cortisone |
| 1968 | Linkage between genes and immune response | Better understanding of how immune response works |
| 1970-84 | Better management of lupus complications | Dramatically increased survival |
| 1971-78 | Cyclosphosphamide for Wegener's granulomatosis & polyarteritis | Cure for most people |
| 1972-76 | Link between specific HLA genes and ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis | Important clues to the causes these diseases |
| 1977 | Discovery of Lyme Disease | Model for infectious cause for certain types of arthritis |
| 1978 | Better management of scleroderma | Improved survival |
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