Arthritis Australia and run community seminars. Arthritis is an umbrella term for more than 100 medical conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system, specifically joints where two or more bones meet. The three most significant – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout – account for more than 95 per cent of cases in Australia. The most common forms of arthritis are: Arthritis-related problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation and damage to joint cartilage (the tissue that covers the ends of bones, enabling them to move against each another) and surrounding structures. This can result in joint weakness, instability and deformities that can interfere with the
Rheumatoid arthritis cells, i.e. activated T- and B cells, monocytes and macrophages from activated fibroblasts, in the joint space. By signalling through RANKL and RANK, they eventually trigger osteoclast production, which degrades bone tissue. Tumor necrosis factors (TNF alpha) plays a major role and several theories exist on how TNF release happens in RA. Tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a pivotal role in regulating the inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).If TNF release is stimulated by B cell products in the form of RF or ACPA -containing immune complexes, through activation of immunoglobulin Fc receptors, then RA