The gut microbiome and rheumatic disease
Can the gut microbiome influence rheumatic disease?
Rheumatic diseases are a group of disorders that affect the joints, bones, muscles, and other connective tissues in the body. These conditions can cause pain, stiffness and inflammation that affect movement and function.
Some examples of rheumatic diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, gout, and scleroderma. These conditions can be chronic and progressive. Treatment may involve medications, physical therapy, and lifestyle changes to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. This paper explored the relationship between the gut microbiome and rheumatic disease.
The journal:
eBioMedicine
The paper:
The authors:
Yilun Wang, Jie Wei,Weiya Zhang, Michael, Doherty, Yuqing Zhangm, Haibin Xie, Wei Li, Ning Wang, Guanghua Lei, Chao Zeng
Take-home points:
This paper presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of 92 observational studies investigating the association between gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in the gut microbiome) and rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and psoriatic arthritis.
The authors found that patients with rheumatic diseases had a decrease in bacterial diversity and abundance of certain bacterial species. They also found that certain bacterial species, such as Prevotella copri, were significantly associated with rheumatic diseases.
Moreover, the study found that interventions aimed at modulating the gut microbiome, such as probiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation, were associated with improvements in disease activity and clinical symptoms in patients with rheumatic diseases.
However, the authors noted that the studies included in this meta-analysis had some limitations, such as the variability in study design and analysis methods, as well as the potential confounding effects of medication use and disease severity.
Conclusion
Overall, this paper suggests that gut dysbiosis may play a role in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases and that interventions aimed at modulating the gut microbiome may have potential in managing these diseases.
However, further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the association between gut dysbiosis and rheumatic diseases and to determine the optimal interventions for improving gut dysbiosis and clinical outcomes in patients with these disease