Chula Medicine announced the discovery of “cytokines” in the body’s immune system that can determine the severity of osteoarthritis in elderly adults, hoping to facilitate the planning of follow-up and treatment of the disease, and reduction of its severity, while also recommending vitamin D and vitamin E supplements, body weight control, and proper exercise.
Older adults and osteoarthritis seem to be two peas in a pod. As they age, many older adults begin to walk more slowly, and have a more difficult time going up and getting down the stairs with joint popping and crackling, or sometimes joint pain, be it the knees, the hips, or finger joints. The disease, although not life-threatening, undermines their happiness and quality of life. university thailand
“Osteoarthritis is a major public health problem in Thailand and around the world, affecting the quality of life of older people. The longer Thai people live today, the more they will have this disease. It is incurable, but if we can predict its severity, we will be able to find a way to lessen its impact,” Professor Sittisak Honsawek, M.D., Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University elaborated on the inception of the research project “Cytokines and Biochemistry Substances as Indicator and Target of Osteoarthritis Treatment” which received an Excellent Research Award by Chula personnel in health science 2021.
For more than 10 years in research, Professor Dr. Sittisak and his team have been arduously working on this study to understand the causes of osteoarthritis, its mechanisms, and its severity indicators to determine ways of monitoring, preventing, and mitigating the disease, which will improve the patient’s quality of life.
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