rituxan use for rheumatoid arthritis

audrye · Newbie Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 20

Hi, I am a fifty years old woman. Few months ago my problems started. First the symptoms were mild. As the time passed, the pain in the joints was increasing. I went to see a doctor and the diagnosis was rheumatoid arthritis. He put me on a therapy that did not produce the desired results. Now he wants to use Rituxan. What can you tell me about this drug's use for rheumatoid arthritis?

cornell · Newbie Joined: 07 Nov 2005 Posts: 15

Hi, the illness that you have is not to be taken lightly especially since it is present with you for some time now and since the pain is increasing. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. The cause of it is not known but there have been some links made. Genetics, hormonal changes and even smoking have been found to affect the creation of rheumatoid arthritis. The first step in treating it involves TNF-alpha substance blockers. If they do not give the results another therapy may be started. Such includes Rituxan. It selectively targets the specific type of white blood cells. They produce auto-antibodies that attack your joint tissue. It is found that these cells play a significant part in autoimmune illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis. This is why your doctor, since the first therapy did not produce desired results, prescribed Rituxan.

rituxan use for rheumatoid arthritis

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