The Rheumatology Clinic at the PGI is studying ways to control the cells causing progression of arthritis. If successful, the study could help bring down, significantly, the chances of severe deformity of limbs due to the disease. The subject is being studied simultaneously in several countries since 2006, and after three years’ work, the PGI says the initial results are very encouraging.

“The entire study will be completed at the end of this year, which is when we will be able to comment on the details of the role of the biologic that we are studying. But the study so far is very positive,” said Dr Aman Sharma of the PGI Department of Internal Medicine.

The department is organising a conference on ‘Current Perspectives in Rheumatology’ on Sunday, March 14, where Prof Rohini Handa, president of the Indian Rheumatology Association, would speak on the latest medicines available in the country for treatment of RA. Several other experts from the country and abroad would also attend.

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According to the head of the department, Prof S Verma, nearly 1,000 cases of RA are being examined at the clinics in the hospital each month. “There is an acute shortage of rheumatologists in the country at the moment vis- a-vis the number of patients. There is a need to educate medical practitioners at the primary health centres about the correct diagnosis of RA,” he said.

Prof Surjit Singh, chief of paediatric immunology at PGI, said early treatment was essential for RA.

What is rheumatoid arthritis

RA is a chronic disease causing pain, stiffness, swelling and limitations of movement of multiple joints. Though it can affect any joint, small joints in hands and feet tend be affected more frequently. Inflammation can develop in other organs as well

What causes RA

It is an auto-immune disease, which develops because certain cells of the immune system don’t work properly and begin attacking healthy joints. The exact cause, however, is not known

Who is at risk

It is the more common in women. The disease most often strikes between the fourth and sixth decades of life. Indian Express