Machine Learning Study Offers Clues to Why Some People Have Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Without Inflammation

Posted onMay 2nd, 2024byDr. Monica M. Bertagnolli

About 1.5 million adults in the U.S. are living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks joint tissue, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain. Treatments often do a good job fighting inflammation to slow or even stop joint damage and ease pain. But this doesnt work for everyone. Many people with RA dont find pain relief, even with the strongest anti-inflammatory, disease-modifying therapies now available.

Why is that? A new study supported in part by NIH and reported inScience Translational Medicine has an intriguing answer. The findings suggest that in some people with RA, the joint lining may direct the growth of pain-sensing neurons to cause pain in the absence of inflammation. This discovery, made possible with the help of machine learning, suggests potential new ways to treat this painful disease.