Arthritis Research Canada/Arthrite-recherche Canada is celebrating 25 years of arthritis research. During this time, our scientific team has been tackling challenges faced by over 6 million Canadians living with arthritis – challenges that can interfere with everyday life.
Through 100+ research projects, we are finding ways to help prevent arthritis, diagnose people earlier, manage symptoms, provide new and better treatments and improve overall quality of life.
Interested to find out what our research looks like in action? Please click the “Learn More” buttons below for additional information.
Understanding Mental Health Care For People With Arthritis
It is important to understand if people with inflammatory arthritis are experiencing increased rates of depression and/or anxiety and whether they are receiving adequate care. This research described patterns of depression and anxiety health care use, before and after arthritis diagnosis, and evaluated treatment received among people with the following diseases: ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
A Dietary Approach to Reducing Gout Risk
People with gout also have a higher risk of heart disease. For gout, a diet low in purine is recommended which often leads to people replacing protein-rich food with foods high in refined sugars and unhealthy fats, which are bad for the heart. This study compared the risk of developing gout in people with a diet similar to the DASH diet, compared to people with a more “Western” diet – rich in red meats, carbohydrates and sugars, to see if the DASH diet could prevent gout.
Addressing Equity in Arthritis Research
Rheumatology research often doesn’t include patients who represent the diversity of the Canadian population which can lead to choices in treatment that don’t meet their needs. This study helps us understand how researchers described patients in previous publications to improve the diversity of people who participate in research.
Improving Access to Care for People with Arthritis
In Alberta, people with Inflammatory Arthritis struggle to get appointments with their family doctors or rheumatologists promptly when new needs arise. This study will analyze existing data to help recommend improvements in patient care within the healthcare system.
Preventing Knee Osteoarthritis In Young People
Many young Canadians who hurt their knees playing sports are at risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA). The Stop OsteoARthritis (SOAR) program offers a new way to help prevent OA through education and exercise.
Cannabis Use by People Living with Arthritis
Little research has been conducted evaluating cannabis use specifically in people with arthritis. This study explored how arthritis symptoms and other factors, differ between people with arthritis who use cannabis regularly and those who don’t. This information can help us understand why people with arthritis choose to use cannabis and how it may affect their disease
2S/LGBTQQIA+ Patients In Research
People from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are often not included in arthritis research. By creating an Advisory Committee this research will engage with these communities to better understand diverse perspectives on living with chronic pain.
Improving How Arthritis Care Is Delivered
How people receive care for their inflammatory arthritis is outdated and does not meet their needs. With the help of patients and health care providers, we are co-designing an innovative way of delivering care called FlexCAre, which will use new technology to monitor people’s health and deliver care tailored to each person’s needs.
Biologics During Pregnancy
Previous research has shown that biologics, used to treat arthritis, can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of infections ranging from mild to serious. This study investigated whether the use of biologics during pregnancy resulted in more infections for mothers in the period after delivery and for babies during their first year of life.
Predicting Risk of Heart Disease for People with Lupus
Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, are more common in people with systemic lupus erythematosus. This study aims to develop and test a tool that will improve the accuracy of predicting each person’s the risk of heart attacks and strokes, in people with lupus.
Mental Health Of Parents Living With Arthritis
Autoimmune rheumatic diseases present challenges including a higher risk of developing mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. This study will advance the limited knowledge base on the mental health of mothers and fathers living with autoimmune rheumatic diseases during the early parenting years.
Reducing Frailty in Older Adults
Physical frailty in older adults occurs when they reduce their daily activities and lose some of their physical function causing an impact on their overall health. This project will provide physical activity counselling, based on the new Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines, to older adults with chronic conditions who are at an early state of frailty.
Understanding the Effects of Arthritis Medication on Cancer Patients
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) activate the immune system to fight cancer but can cause a reaction against the tissues leading to inflammatory arthritis. In this study, scientists will conduct a clinical trial testing whether an arthritis medication is effective in “turning off” arthritis caused by ICI, while preventing long-term joint inflammation, and allowing ongoing cancer treatment.
Arthritis Treatment & Children
By better understanding the biological characteristics of each child’s arthritis, we could help select the biologic therapy most likely to be effective for that child. This study will develop tools, using various blood markers, genetics, and clinical information, to predict which drug a child is more likely to respond to, and when it can be stopped with little chances of the disease coming back.
Measuring Healthcare for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Early rheumatoid arthritis treatment helps people with this disease live longer and have a better quality of life. This project will develop the “Alberta Rheumatology Learning Health System”, a tool designed to improve rheumatology care.
Rheumatoid Arthritis and “On Demand” Care
Rheumatologist follow-up appointments are scheduled at fixed intervals for convenience, leaving little time for last minute appointments at times of urgent need. This study aims to create and test a ‘patient-initiated’ model of delivering care where patients will be followed by their family doctor when their disease is stable, and arrange rheumatology follow-up visits when needed, rather than at fixed pre-determined intervals.
COVID-19 Risks for Immunocompromised People
Ongoing research is needed on the safety and effectiveness of multiple doses of COVID vaccines in people with auto-immune diseases who are taking drugs that suppress the immune system. This study will compare the safety and effectiveness of different types of booster COVID-19 vaccines in people with systemic autoimmune disease treated with rituximab.
Importance of Strength Training
Strength training has a lot of important benefits for people with rheumatoid arthritis. This project is aimed at finding out what helps people with rheumatoid arthritis take up and maintain strength training and develop effective strategies for people to take part in this type of activity in order to improve their health.
Preventing Hip Osteoarthritis
One of the risk factors for hip osteoarthritis is a condition called femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). This study will examine the link between FAI and the risk of developing future osteoarthritis, and how different types of physical activity modify that risk.
Lupus & the Brain
A better understanding of what causes cognitive impairment in people with lupus and how it evolves is needed to identify adequate treatment options. This study will use state-of-the-art MRI scans of the brain to measure the leakiness of the blood-brain barrier, to see how it changes over time and how it corresponds to fluctuations in cognitive function.
