First described in 1833 by Baron Guillaume Dupuytren, Dupuytren’s disease (DD) or Dupuytren’s Contracture is a progressive fibroproliferative disease of the palmar fascia and the most common inherited disorder of the connective tissue, with 5-25% prevalence in people of European descent, male:female ratio > 3:1. It is characterized by the initial development of myofibroblast-rich nodules, leading to the formation of abnormal cords in the palm of the hand. In a proportion of patients, the…
Diseases
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic inflammatory conditions of the intestine, with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. The incidence of IBD has rapidly increased in recent decades, with an estimated 5 million people living with IBD globally. While CD can affect the whole intestinal tract often in a patchy pattern, inflammation is more uniformly distributed and restricted to the colon and rectum in UC. Nevertheless, CD and UC greatly…
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare and severe autoimmune disease characterized by thickening of the skin caused by accumulation of collagen. The pathophysiology of SSc is incompletely understood but excessive fibrosis of connective tissue, vasculopathy and immune components are involved. Skin and other organs, including the kidneys, heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract, may be affected. There is at present no targeted disease modifying treatment for SSc. Current treatments aim to relieve…
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory arthritis of the axial skeleton that predominantly affects young men. Although primarily affecting the spine, other joints can become involved. It causes inflammation of the vertebrae that can lead to severe pain and discomfort. In more advanced cases this inflammation can lead to ankylosis - new bone formation in the spine causing sections of the spine to fuse in a fixed, immobile position. AS can also affect other areas of the body such as the…
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease affecting many organs of the body, such as skin, joints and kidney. It is a markedly heterogenic disease with different sets of symptoms in different patients, and with periods of flares and quiescence. The etiology of the disease is unknown, but genetic as well as environmental factors play a role. SLE patients are often treated with corticosteroids and other antiinflammatory agents, and…
Idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM) is a chronic rheumatic muscle disease, which can be subdivided into polymyositis, dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis. The etiology of the disease is largely unknown. IIM results in skeletal muscle weakness and pain, and muscles are infiltrated with cytotoxic T cells and macrophages. Other organs beside skeletal muscle are in some cases involved, such as inflammation in lungs, joints and heart. Corticosteroids is the main…