Scientists from Adelaide and the United States have made a surprising discovery about a rare form of arthritis. They found that some people with this less common type of rheumatoid arthritis have the same gene mutations usually seen in blood cancer patients.
The researchers focused on a condition called seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. This type of arthritis is different from the usual form because people with it test negative for certain blood markers that doctors normally use to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. It is harder to treat, and doctors still don’t fully understand what causes it.
The study was published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. It was a joint effort between the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), the University of Adelaide, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Flinders University, and the Mayo Clinic in the United States.
Associate Professor Devendra Hiwase, a clinical blood specialist, led the research alongside Dr. Dan Thomas, who leads SAHMRI’s Blood Cancer Program.
Associate Professor Hiwase said the team was surprised to find that many patients with seronegative arthritis also had mutations in certain genes that control how the body’s cells behave.
These are called epigenetic genes, and mutations in them can cause blood problems like lazy marrow (where bone marrow doesn’t work properly) or acute myeloid leukemia, a serious blood cancer.
One of the most important findings was about mutations in two specific genes, IDH1 and IDH2. These genes help regulate the bone marrow, which produces blood cells. The researchers found that in several patients, these gene mutations appeared before the symptoms of arthritis started. This suggests that the mutations might actually be involved in causing the arthritis.
The team believes that other bone marrow disorders and gene mutations could also create inflammation in the body that looks like autoimmune diseases, where the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues.
They also found that patients with the gene mutations developed arthritis faster after being diagnosed with a bone marrow disorder than patients without the mutations. Even more interesting, the harmful chemicals (called metabolites) produced by the mutated cells were linked to the arthritis symptoms.
This discovery could be very important for people with arthritis. It suggests that some treatments currently used for blood cancer might also work for certain kinds of arthritis. Instead of only focusing on calming the immune system, doctors might one day use drugs that target the actual gene mutations.
Dr. Thomas said that this study shows the strength of combining digital health records and new laboratory tools like mass spectrometry, which can quickly analyze tiny chemical changes in the body.
While the findings are early, they open a new door for understanding how autoimmune diseases and blood cancers might be connected. They also offer hope that new, more effective treatments could be developed for people living with difficult-to-treat arthritis.
If you are interested in arthritis, you may want to explore more research on natural options like extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate for arthritis relief. Other recent studies also suggest that medical cannabis may help reduce pain from arthritis and back problems.
The full research paper can be found in the journal Blood.
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