Re: REVIEW - RA is an autoimmune disease triggered by Proteus urinary tract infection

[Guest guest]

This is a new theory that I haven't heard before. I for one did not

have a urinary tract infection anytime immediately before my RA

started. I did have some in my younger days, but this was years and

years before RA.

Sue

On Saturday, July 8, 2006, at 08:27 AM, wrote:

>

> Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease triggered by Proteus

> urinary

> tract infection.

>

[Guest guest]

Sue, in this review, their hypothesis begins, " We propose that sub-clinical

Proteus urinary tract infections are the main triggering factors .... " The

key word is SUBCLINICAL. That means one would have the infection, but not

display any outward signs (and likely not know).

So you may have had this infection and not known it.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] REVIEW - RA is an autoimmune disease triggered by

Proteus urinary tract infection

> This is a new theory that I haven't heard before. I for one did not

> have a urinary tract infection anytime immediately before my RA

> started. I did have some in my younger days, but this was years and

> years before RA.

>

> Sue

>

> On Saturday, July 8, 2006, at 08:27 AM, wrote:

>>

>> Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease triggered by Proteus

>> urinary

>> tract infection.

[Guest guest]

Oh, , I see. But are they saying that most cases of rheumatoid

arthritis are caused by this? I didn't quite understand if that was

what they were saying.

Sue

On Saturday, July 8, 2006, at 06:08 PM, wrote:

> Sue, in this review, their hypothesis begins, " We propose that

> sub-clinical

> Proteus urinary tract infections are the main triggering factors .... "

> The

> key word is SUBCLINICAL. That means one would have the infection, but

> not

> display any outward signs (and likely not know).

>

> So you may have had this infection and not known it.

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, Sue, they are stating that Proteus mirabilis is the major trigger of RA

(in those who are genetically susceptible).

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] REVIEW - RA is an autoimmune disease triggered by

Proteus urinary tract infection

> Oh, , I see. But are they saying that most cases of rheumatoid

> arthritis are caused by this? I didn't quite understand if that was

> what they were saying.

>

> Sue

>

> On Saturday, July 8, 2006, at 06:08 PM, wrote:

>

>> Sue, in this review, their hypothesis begins, " We propose that

>> sub-clinical

>> Proteus urinary tract infections are the main triggering factors .... "

>> The

>> key word is SUBCLINICAL. That means one would have the infection, but

>> not

>> display any outward signs (and likely not know).

>>

>> So you may have had this infection and not known it.

[Guest guest]

What does " Proteus " mean? Is it just the type of bacteria?

This really interests me because I have had chronic UTI's and kidney

problems for years, prior to being dx'd with RA.

> >

> >> Sue, in this review, their hypothesis begins, " We propose that

> >> sub-clinical

> >> Proteus urinary tract infections are the main triggering

factors .... "

> >> The

> >> key word is SUBCLINICAL. That means one would have the

infection, but

> >> not

> >> display any outward signs (and likely not know).

> >>

> >> So you may have had this infection and not known it.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, .

Yes, Proteus mirabilis is a bacterium.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] Re: REVIEW - RA is an autoimmune disease triggered by

Proteus urinary tract infection

> What does " Proteus " mean? Is it just the type of bacteria?

> This really interests me because I have had chronic UTI's and kidney

> problems for years, prior to being dx'd with RA.

>>

>> Yes, Sue, they are stating that Proteus mirabilis is the major

> trigger of RA

>> (in those who are genetically susceptible).

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

, I am very confused. I know that Proteus mirabilis is a bacterium and

the article states that it is a factor in those that are genetically

susceptible. Okay, how is genetics related? Is it genetically related for

those those who are prone to urinary tract infections or is it those who are

genetically related because someone in their family has/had RA? I will be 60 in

Sept and I have only had two URI infections in my entire life, one was 5 years

and the other 7 years after I was diagnosed with RA.

Hugs,

<Matsumura_Clan@...> wrote:

Hi, .

Yes, Proteus mirabilis is a bacterium.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] Re: REVIEW - RA is an autoimmune disease triggered by

Proteus urinary tract infection

> What does " Proteus " mean? Is it just the type of bacteria?

> This really interests me because I have had chronic UTI's and kidney

> problems for years, prior to being dx'd with RA.

>>

>> Yes, Sue, they are stating that Proteus mirabilis is the major

> trigger of RA

>> (in those who are genetically susceptible).

>>

>>

>>

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[Guest guest]

,

First of all, keep in mind that this idea about Proteus urinary tract

infections as the main trigger of RA is only a theory. The rest of what I

say here is also just theory.

It's well accepted that RA has a significant genetic component. Several

genes are thought to be involved, but not all are known yet. The ways in

which the genes might interact is not perfectly understood.

Practically speaking, it doesn't matter what genes any of your ancestors

had, only the combination of genes which YOU have. RA is not a genetic

disease in the sense that, say, hemophilia is.

And genes don't tell the whole story; otherwise, the concordance rate

between identical twins would be closer to 100% rather than the 10 - 20% it

is.

Given a person has the genes that make him/her susceptible to RA in the

first place, then one or more triggers/stressors come along and set off a

chain reaction of sorts. The immune system, for reasons unknown, gets stuck

in a cycle in which it attacks not only foreign invaders (like viruses and

bacteria), but the body, too.

The researchers who are promoting the Proteus mirabilis infection theory

state as their hypothesis:

" We propose that sub-clinical Proteus urinary tract infections are the main

triggering factors and that the presence of molecular mimicry and

cross-reactivity between these bacteria and RA-targeted tissue antigens

assists in the perpetuation of the disease process through production of

cytopathic auto-antibodies. "

The term " subclinical " means that there are no outward, obvious signs. You

could have a Proteus urinary tract infection, but not know it. It could be

doing you harm silently.

The idea of " molecular mimicry " is important here. It means that the

bacterium has protein sequences that are similar to those of the genes in

the affected person. And then the body, in its attempts to rid itself of the

bacterium, mistakenly attacks itself, too.

Of course, it's all a lot more complicated than this, but that's a

reasonable Reader's Digest version.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] Re: REVIEW - RA is an autoimmune disease triggered

by Proteus urinary tract infection

, I am very confused. I know that Proteus mirabilis is a bacterium

and the article states that it is a factor in those that are genetically

susceptible. Okay, how is genetics related? Is it genetically related for

those those who are prone to urinary tract infections or is it those who are

genetically related because someone in their family has/had RA? I will be

60 in Sept and I have only had two URI infections in my entire life, one was

5 years and the other 7 years after I was diagnosed with RA.

Hugs,