Conditions such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus are all triggered in this way, very often with deeply unpleasant consequences. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, immune cells – mainly lymphocytes and macrophages – start to attack the tissue that makes up joints, and these become painful, stiff and swollen. Around one-third of those who develop rheumatoid arthritis will have stopped working within two years of its onset, so painful are its effects. “Our cancer drugs boost our patients’ immune systems to help them kill off their tumours. “As a result, some of the cancer patients – happily, not too many – who are being treated with immunotherapies are beginning to develop rheumatoid arthritis and type I diabetes.

Source: The Guardian March 03, 2018 18:00 UTC