The need for tissue engineering

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Treatments

  • Analgesics
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
    • E.g. aspirin
    • Side effects
    • Take extra drugs to relieve the side effects
  • Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
  • Biological therapies:
    • Anti-TNF (has a key role in inflammation)
    • Anti-IL-1 (acts as a messenger during inflammation)
  • Corticosteroids
    • Cortisone (a natural hormone) was the first
    • Reduce inflammation well
    • But lots of side effects, including osteoporosis
    • Used in 3 ways:
      1. Injection into inflamed joint
      2. Intramuscular or intravenous injection
      3. Taken orally

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