Why haven’t we cured arthritis? - Kaitlyn Sadtler and Heather J. Faust
-
0:07 - 0:09While regaling you with daring
stories from her youth, -
0:09 - 0:13it might be hard to believe your
grandmother used to be a trapeze artist. -
0:13 - 0:18However, the bad backs, elbow pain,
and creaky knees so common in older people -
0:18 - 0:20is more than just “old age."
-
0:20 - 0:25In fact, the source of this stiffness
plagues many young people as well. -
0:25 - 0:27The culprit is arthritis:
-
0:27 - 0:30a condition that causes inflammation
and pain in the joints -
0:30 - 0:34of over 90 million people
in the U.S. alone. -
0:34 - 0:37But are stiff, creaky joints
really inevitable? -
0:37 - 0:39What makes arthritis so pervasive,
-
0:39 - 0:43and why haven’t we found a cure for
this widespread condition? -
0:43 - 0:46The first hurdle is that arthritis
is actually a spectrum -
0:46 - 0:49of over 100 different arthritic
conditions. -
0:49 - 0:53All these conditions share symptoms
of joint pain and inflammation, -
0:53 - 0:57but the origin and severity of those
symptoms vary widely. -
0:57 - 1:00Even the most common type,
osteoarthritis, -
1:00 - 1:02is trickier to prevent than
one might think. -
1:02 - 1:06It’s a general misconception that
arthritis is confined to old age. -
1:06 - 1:11The origins of osteoarthritis can often
be traced to a patient’s early life, -
1:11 - 1:14from any seemingly ordinary joint injury.
-
1:14 - 1:18Following impact, immune cells rush in
to help clean and repair the damaged site -
1:18 - 1:20and begin pumping out enzymes,
-
1:20 - 1:24including matrix metalloproteinases
and aggrecanases. -
1:24 - 1:28These enzymes clear out the damaged
tissue and contribute to inflammation. -
1:28 - 1:32But while this rapid swelling helps
protect the joint during recovery, -
1:32 - 1:36inadequately healed tissue can cause these
immune cells to overstay their welcome. -
1:36 - 1:40The continuing flood of enzymes starts
to degrade the cartilage, -
1:40 - 1:43weakening the joint and leading
to arthritis later on. -
1:43 - 1:48Not all forms of arthritis can simply
be traced to an old sports injury. -
1:48 - 1:53Take rheumatoid arthritis, which
affects 1.3 million U.S. adults. -
1:53 - 1:55This condition is actually an
autoimmune disease -
1:55 - 1:59in which autoantibodies target
natively produced proteins, -
1:59 - 2:02some of which are secreted
by cartilage cells. -
2:02 - 2:04We still don’t know what
causes this behavior, -
2:04 - 2:08but the result is that the body treats
joint tissue like a foreign invader. -
2:08 - 2:13Immune cells infiltrate the joint despite
there being no tissue damage to repair. -
2:13 - 2:16This response leads to chronic
inflammation, -
2:16 - 2:19which destroys bone and cartilage.
-
2:19 - 2:22Yet another condition,
spondyloarthritis, -
2:22 - 2:25has similarities to both of the
conditions we’ve covered. -
2:25 - 2:28Patients experience continuous
inflammation in the joints -
2:28 - 2:31and at the sites where ligaments and
tendons attach to bones, -
2:31 - 2:33even without any initial injury.
-
2:33 - 2:38This leads to the flood of enzymes and
degradation seen in osteoarthritis, -
2:38 - 2:42but is driven by different inflammatory
proteins called cytokines. -
2:42 - 2:44As the enzymes eat away at cartilage,
-
2:44 - 2:48the body attempts to stabilize smaller
joints by fusing them together. -
2:48 - 2:53This process sometimes leads to
outgrowths called bone spurs, -
2:53 - 2:56which also cause intense stiffness
and joint pain. -
2:56 - 2:58With so many factors causing arthritis,
-
2:58 - 3:01our current treatments are tailored
to tackle specific symptoms -
3:01 - 3:03rather than underlying causes.
-
3:03 - 3:06These range from promising
MACI techniques, -
3:06 - 3:10which harvest cells from small pieces
of cartilage to grow replacement tissue. -
3:10 - 3:12To a technique called microfracture,
-
3:12 - 3:15where surgeons create small
holes in the bone, -
3:15 - 3:19allowing bone marrow stem cells to
leak out and form new cartilage. -
3:19 - 3:20As a last resort,
-
3:20 - 3:25people with withered cartilage can
even undergo full joint replacements. -
3:25 - 3:27But outside these drastic measures,
-
3:27 - 3:29the underlying drivers of
autoimmune arthritis -
3:29 - 3:32still present a unique
treatment challenge. -
3:32 - 3:37Scientists are making progress with
therapies that block TNF-alpha, -
3:37 - 3:41one of the primary proteins causing
inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. -
3:41 - 3:46But even this approach only treats the
symptoms of the condition, not the cause. -
3:46 - 3:52In the meantime, some of our best defenses
against arthritis are lifestyle choices: -
3:52 - 3:55maintaining a healthy weight to
take pressure off joints, -
3:55 - 3:59low-impact exercises like yoga or cycling,
and avoiding smoking. -
3:59 - 4:03These arthritis-fighting behaviors
can help us lead longer lives -
4:03 - 4:06as we continue to research
cures and treatments -
4:06 - 4:09for the huge diversity of
arthritic conditions.
- Title:
- Why haven’t we cured arthritis? - Kaitlyn Sadtler and Heather J. Faust
- Speaker:
- Kaitlyn Sadtler and Heather J. Faust
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-haven-t-we-cured-arthritis-kaitlyn-sadtler-and-heather-j-faust
The bad backs, elbow pain, and creaky knees so common in older people often aren't just “old age.” In fact, the source of this stiffness plagues many young people as well. The culprit is arthritis: a condition that affects over 90 million people in the U.S. alone. What makes arthritis so pervasive, and why haven’t we found a cure for it? Kaitlyn Sadtler and Heather J. Faust investigate.
Lesson by Kaitlyn Sadtler and Heather J. Faust, directed by CUB Animation.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:10
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