RA and Your Immune System
1.3 million people have RA
It’s estimated that 1.3 million people in the United States have RA. That’s almost 1 percent of all adults. And women are 2 to 3 times more likely to have RA than men.

What’s Causing Your RA?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) occurs when your immune system, the system that protects your body from harmful bacteria and viruses, starts attacking your healthy cells.

In a healthy immune system, many different cells protect the body by fighting harmful bacteria and viruses. These include white blood cells called B cells and T cells. Our immune system uses messengers called cytokines to tell them when and where to attack.

There are many different types of cytokines, including:

  • Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
  • Interleukin-1 (IL-1)
  • Interleukin-6 (IL-6)

Most patients with RA have too much of a particular kind of cytokine in their bodies. This increases the activity of the white blood cells that are attacking healthy cells, and this plays an important role in RA.

Many of the RA treatments on the market target the action of too much TNF, or too much B-cell or T-cell activity in the body. Only ACTEMRA works to target the action of IL-6.

Enbrel® (etanercept), Humira® (adalimumab), Remicade® (infliximab), Cimzia® (certolizumab pegol), Simponi® (golimumab), Orencia® (abatacept), and Rituxan® (rituximab)* are the property of their respective owners.

*HOW RITUXAN® (rituximab) IS USED IN RA: Rituxan is a prescription medicine used in adults with another medicine called methotrexate to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after at least one other medicine called a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist has been used and did not work well enough. People with serious infections should not receive Rituxan.

IMPORTANT SIDE EFFECT INFORMATION: Rituxan can cause serious side effects, some of which could be life threatening. These include progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), severe infusion reactions, tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), and severe skin and mouth reactions. For more information, please see Rituxan.com for full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.  Learn more »

Next: Is Your RA Treatment Working for You? »
SAFETY FIRST
Before reading more, please see the Important Side Effect Information for ACTEMRA.
Tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, is a cytokine in the body that plays a role in regulating the immune system.
Interleukin-1, or IL-1, is a type of cytokine in the body that plays a role in regulating immune and inflammatory responses.
Interleukin-6, or IL-6, is a type of cytokine in the body with a wide variety of biological functions. People with RA may have more IL-6 in the areas surrounding the joints than any other cytokine.
The immune system is a complex network of organs and cells that protects the body from foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses.