OMRF Teams with Tribal Clinics To Fight Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis strikes earlier, more viciously and more often in American Indian populations than in European populations. Experts estimate that American Indians are four times more likely to have the disease than those of European ancestry. Now, a partnership between OMRF and the Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations is providing more rheumatology care to tribal clinics while helping scientists better understand the role race plays in rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases.
“We’re trying to identify blood markers that could help us diagnose rheumatoid arthritis earlier,” says OMRF’s Dr. Judith James. “Early diagnosis is crucial in allowing doctors to halt the progression of the disease.”
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks joints and surrounding tissues. The disease affects 1.5 million Americans and is more common in both females and American Indian populations. RA causes pain, joint swelling, limited movement and other problems.
If rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed early enough, patients can avoid or delay disability and deformities, says James.
“Most people think of RA as affecting only the joints, but it can strike almost any part of the body,” says James, who holds the Lou C. Kerr Chair in Biomedical Research at OMRF. “The increased inflammation seen in RA plays a part in accelerated heart disease, especially in tribal populations.”
The partnership enables OMRF scientist-physicians to visit tribal clinics in Ada (Chickasaw Nation) and Muskogee (Cherokee Nation) and to work with healthcare providers there to administer rheumatology care. Patients who receive care can volunteer to take part in the research, and OMRF has enrolled more than 120 patients and 100 healthy controls in the study.
“We’re lucky to work with excellent doctors, like Fabio Mota and Tina Cooper of the Chickasaw Nation, and others who are so dedicated to providing top-notch patient care to our tribal communities,” James says. “And the help of epidemiologists at the Cherokee Nation like Sohail Khan is
also invaluable.”
Although the research focuses mainly on rheumatoid arthritis, scientists are also examining scleroderma, Sjögren’s syndrome and lupus—three other autoimmune diseases that affect Native populations.
“This project provides a unique and beneficial opportunity for all involved,” says James. “Patients can receive the highest level of care available and play a part in research that could save lives otherwise shortened by rheumatoid arthritis and associated diseases.”
