- Collagenosis (connective tissue diseases) - causes
- Systemic diseases of connective tissue - symptoms
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Collagenosis is a group of diseases that contribute to pathological changes in connective tissue. They include, among others rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic vasculitis. What are the causes and symptoms of connective tissue diseases? How is their treatment going?
Collagenosesis an old term forsystemic diseases of connective tissue . Virtually every tissue and organ in the body can be affected by the disease because the connective tissue makes up many organs, skin, cartilage, bones and blood vessels. However, it most often affects the skin and joints.
Collagenosis (connective tissue diseases) - causes
Collagenoses are a group of autoimmune diseases. This means that, in their course, the cells of the immune system attack the body's own tissues (in this case, the connective tissue), due to the body's failure to recognize its own cells.
It is not known what causes this condition. It is believed that the development of the disease is influenced by a combination of four factors:
- genetic
- immunological (e.g. defects in regulatory T lymphocytes)
- hormonal (including fluctuations in the concentration of estrogens and androgens)
- environmental (viral infections, vaccinations, immunogenic drugs)
Systemic diseases of connective tissue - symptoms
Rheumatoid arthritis
Symptoms - joint swelling, pain and stiffness that increase when you wake up, joint tenderness to pressure, limited mobility, and eventually deformity. In addition, low-grade fever, weakness and weight loss appear.
Treatment - disease-modifying drugs (DMARDs) play a key role as they alleviate symptoms, but most of all inhibit joint damage. Other treatments used include glucocorticoids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and pain relievers. Therapy also includes exercise, physical therapy, orthopedic supplies, and a proper diet;
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (Still's Disease)
Symptoms:
- Non-articular form - inflammation affects 1-4 joints (it can be knees, ankles, fingers and toes, wrists, elbows and hips). Low-grade fever occurs sporadically.
- Multi-joint form -affects children of all ages. It affects girls more often. Most joints become inflamed. Some patients develop chronic uveitis.
- Systemic form - fever rising in the evening and falling below normal in the morning, non-itchy rash, inflammation may spread from the joints to the internal organs, resulting in inflammation of the heart muscle, pericardium, lungs and pleura.
Treatment - glucocorticosteroids, immunosuppressants are administered. The therapy also includes rehabilitation, intraarticular and surgical treatment;
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Symptoms - butterfly-shaped erythema on the face (or other exposed parts of the body), joint pain and swelling, alopecia. Also characteristic isRaynaud's phenomenon- paroxysmal spasm of the distal arteries of the hands and fingers, which leads to their paleness and cooling. In addition, there is weakness, low-grade fever or fever, weight loss.
Treatment - the patient is given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, and antimalarial drugs.
Read also: Diseases resulting from autoimmunity, or autoimmune diseases
Erythema nodosum
Symptoms - vivid red hard and painful lumps on the skin (most often on the legs), joint pain, abdominal pain, cough, low-grade fever.
Treatment - the administration of appropriate drugs depends on the cause of the disease (e.g. if the cause is bacteria, antibiotics are given). In addition, compresses and ointments are applied to the affected areas.
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Symptoms - thrombosis, joint pain, skin changes - reticular cyanosis, leg ulcers and necrotic changes in the fingers.
Treatment - includes anticoagulant management. Plasmapheresis is also performed - it is a method of purifying plasma from undesirable components. In addition, cyclophosphamide is also administered orally, as well as intravenous immunoglobulins and heparin.
Sjögren's syndrome
Symptoms of dry eye syndrome, i.e. dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva perceived as "sand" under the eyelids, eye oversensitivity to light. In addition, there is dry mouth, problems with chewing and swallowing food, loss or disturbance of taste and smell, dry nose and throat, Raynaud's phenomenon.
Treatment - the patient is given artificial tears, pilocarpine, chloroquine and sometimes glucocorticosteroids.
Read also: Guillain-Barré syndrome: symptoms and treatment
Systemic sclerosis
Symptoms - parchment, pinched, glowing,hardened skin on the face, chest and hands, Raynaud's phenomenon, symptoms of arthritis, the predominant symptoms of which are pain, trouble swallowing.
Treatment - vasodilators and immunosuppressants are used.
Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy
These are a group of diseases that affect skeletal muscles. These include polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and inclusion body myositis.
Symptoms - incl. weakening of proximal muscles (shoulder and hip girdles, arms, thighs, neck), inflammatory infiltrates and degenerative / regenerative changes and atrophies around the muscle bundles, numerous skin changes (including erythema in the face, neckline, neck and shoulders, side surfaces thighs and hips), Raynaud's phenomenon.
Treatment - glucocorticosteroids (GKS) and other immunosuppressive drugs (most often azathioprine and methotrexate) are used;
Mixed connective tissue disease (Sharp's syndrome)
Symptoms - Raynaud's phenomenon, swelling of the hands and fingers, fever, joint and muscle pain, skin changes characteristic of systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic scleroderma.
Treatment - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids, immunosuppressants.
Overlap bands
This is a disease syndrome that consists of symptoms of at least several separate diseases - symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, polymyositis or dermatomyositis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Systemic vasculitis
It is a group of diseases in the course of which the walls of blood vessels are damaged by an inflammatory process. The consequence is bleeding or thromboembolism. This group of diseases includes, among others:
- Takayasu's disease,
- Horton's disease (giant cell arteritis),
- polyarteritis nodosa,
- IgA-related vasculitis.