Abstract At present, although the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unknown, most investigators believe that it is primarily an inflammatory disease of the synovial membrane of the joints. However, we have recently focused on the pathology of the early changes in articular cartilage and subchondral bone in RA patients, and have shown that RA involves articular cartilage and subchondral bone, not synovia. This research direction may lead to the development of a new specific treatment for the disease.
Key words
Key words Autoimmunity ・ c-fos ・ Rheumatoid arthritis ・ TRAP-positive multinucleated cell ・ Type II collagen
