Drugs used to treat joint and muscle disease

Publication date: Available online 19 February 2015 Source:Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine Author(s): David G. Lambert Joint disease: Arthritis can be simply broken into osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoarthritis is treated with symptomatic pain relief and surgery. RA is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of joints (leading to their destruction), tissues around joints and other organ systems. Treatment (for pain) of RA in the first instance is with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with second-line treatment using disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). DMARDs are a disparate group and include methotrexate, d-penicillamine, sulphasalazine, gold salts, antimalarial drugs and immunosuppressant drugs. The newer class of ‘biological’ DMARDs includes etanercept (tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) receptor–immunoglobulin G chimera), infliximab (monoclonal anti-TNF-α antibody), anakinra (interleukin 1 receptor antagonist) and rituximab (an anti-CD20 antibody that depletes B cells). Muscle disease: Myaesthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease targeted to muscle type nicotinic receptors. Treatment is based on improving neuromuscular function by: (i) increasing acetylcholine concentrations with neostigmine and pyridostigmine, (ii) immunosuppression, (iii) thymectomy and (iv) plasmapheresis. General muscle spasticity can be caused by a wide range of conditions including multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Parkins...
Source: Anaesthesia and intensive care medicine - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research