It may not be a problem with swollen hands and feet, throbbing bones, or simple joints. It may be a symptom of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease in which my body attacks me. We investigated the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and how it can be treated with Professor Sang-Hyun Kim of the Department of Rheumatology at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital.
[김혁 리포터]
When I look around me, there are actually not many young people who are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or are undergoing treatment. There are a lot of middle-aged people. So, after all, is rheumatoid arthritis a disease that develops with age?
[김상현 교수]
Not exactly. I looked for the causes of rheumatoid arthritis, and the most common age is the mid-forties to mid-fifties.
There is something that plays an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, but first of all, genes play a role, right?
[김혁 리포터]
Is it hereditary?
[김상현 교수]
People with certain HLA-DR4 genes are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis in families than others. So, 10 to 12% of cases have a family history.
Then there are other environmental factors. For men, smoking has a significant effect, and for women, when female hormones weaken, that is, when they enter their fifties, as menopause approaches, female hormones weaken and the effectiveness of preventing arthritis diminishes. Also, women who smoke, such as these, may end their periods sooner or have an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Another thing that has been revealed recently is that when oral hygiene is not good, when periodontitis of the gums is often caused by certain bacteria next to the gums, in this case, autoantibodies that cause rheumatoid arthritis are well made? So the risk goes up.
Another thing is that people with poor gut health and those who are prone to rheumatoid arthritis often have poor gut health. Chronic diarrhea or in this case, it may have such an effect.
Genetic factors and environmental factors are complex, but in the end, women in their 40s and 50s are the most common.
[김혁 리포터]
okay. What are the different causes of rheumatoid arthritis?
[김상현 교수]
So you’re testing medical students to define rheumatoid arthritis, right? To write the answer, you have to write it like this: It is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease, so I have to talk about the conclusion like this.
[김혁 리포터]
If you are a medical student watching this show, you know the answer.
Sir, if you look at the market these days, there is a lot of interest in bone health, so health supplements are being advertised a lot, right? Because of that, there are people who take care of the elderly around me, and my age group eats a lot, so wouldn’t it be possible to prevent rheumatoid arthritis a little by taking this kind of thing or paying attention to it?
[김상현 교수]
That’s not it.
[김혁 리포터]
Isn’t it?
[김상현 교수]
Drinking this is good for your joints, but most of them don’t work. However, to tell you what is effective, it is good to take calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin D, in particular, has the effect of preventing autoimmunity.
So, you need to get enough vitamin D in your body to reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases. And of course, you can prevent osteoporosis by strengthening your bones, right? So, I think it would be better to take calcium and vitamin D well.
Also, you are talking a lot about omega 3…
[김혁 리포터]
Did you eat a lot?
[김상현 교수]
Omega 3 actually works. Omega 3 reduces inflammation and makes blood vessels healthy, so you can buy it and eat it.
By the way, if you have enough vitamin D, you can maintain your muscle strength well, right? After all, muscle strength has to be maintained, and the joints are healthy, so the drug, the food, right? That healthy food? I think it’s better to get enough vitamin D than that.