About AiArthritis Diseases

About AiArthritis Diseases

1 in 10 people live with at least one AiArthritis disease, including the many who are still searching for a diagnosis. That is 450 million people worldwide. Chances are you are one of them, or you know someone who is.

AiArthritis means arthritis that comes from an autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease, where your immune system attacks your own healthy tissue instead of defending it. That is what makes it different from osteoarthritis, which comes from wear and tear.


We trademarked the term in 2019 because these diseases had no shared name, even though they share the same early warning sign. Of the more than 100 autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, 22 have inflammatory arthritis as a major symptom in most patients, and those 22 are the ones we represent. Because the inflammation travels through your bloodstream, it does not stop at your joints.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • AiArthritis diseases are driven by your immune system rather than by wear and tear, which is what separates them from osteoarthritis.
  • Autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases come from two different parts of the immune system, and some diseases involve both.
  • AiArthritis represents 22 diseases, the ones where inflammatory arthritis is a major early symptom.
  • The inflammation moves through your bloodstream, so these diseases can reach tissues and organs and not only joints.
  • Research suggests more than half of people with an AiArthritis disease are undiagnosed or diagnosed as undifferentiated, which is why recognizing the pattern early matters.



What does AiArthritis actually mean?


AiArthritis is a term we trademarked in 2019 to name something that had no name, the inflammation-driven arthritis that comes from having an autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease. It is built into our logo.


Your immune system’s job is to defend you from viruses, bacteria and infection. In AiArthritis diseases it makes a mistake and targets your own healthy tissue instead. That is what sets this apart from the most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, which comes from wear and tear rather than from your immune system


Between the two there are over 100 autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. Only 22 include inflammatory arthritis as a major symptom in most patients, and those 22 are the diseases we represent.


 Because they are autoimmune and autoinflammatory at their core, they do not stop at your joints. The inflammation moves through your bloodstream, so it can reach tissues and organs throughout your body.

About 300 million people worldwide are diagnosed with at least one AiArthritis disease.


Research suggests over half of patients go undiagnosed, or are diagnosed as undifferentiated, which brings the real number closer to 450 million.

What is the difference between autoimmune and autoinflammatory?

Autoimmune Disease Autoinflammatory Disease
How many More than 80 Around two dozen rare diseases
Which part of your immune system The adaptive system, the part that develops over your lifetime The innate system, the part you are born with
What sets it off A combination of genetics and an environmental trigger such as a virus, bacteria or hormones, in someone with a genetic predisposition Often no known trigger. A genetic mutation is usually the cause instead

Why does AiArthritis group these diseases together?

We grouped these diseases together because they share the same early warning sign, inflammatory arthritis. Recognizing that pattern earlier means faster referrals, faster diagnosis and better odds of reaching remission.


If you live with an autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease where arthritis is a core feature and it is not on our list, email us at info@aiarthritis.org with "Disease Addition" in the subject line. We review the list every year with a team of medical specialists.

How does the immune system cause these diseases?

Autoinflammatory diseases stem from the innate system, showing up as episodes of inflammation with no clear trigger, usually from a mutation in a gene involved in that system. Autoimmune diseases stem from the adaptive system, where your body learns to recognize something as foreign and then mistakenly builds a long-term attack against your own tissue instead. Those involve a mix of genetics and environment. Generally the more genetics are involved, the earlier a disease shows up, and the later the onset, the more likely an environmental trigger such as gut bacteria, smoking or an infection played a role.



As research advances, some diseases once considered purely autoimmune are being reclassified as autoinflammatory, or as a mix of both, since the two systems can trigger each other. That overlap is part of why we use one term, AiArthritis, for diseases that used to be studied separately.


Where should you go next?

Disease List

There are over 100 autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. Only 22 include inflammatory arthritis as a major symptom, and those 22 are the ones we represent.

AiArthritis Disease Symptoms

We are building the patient-reported symptom picture of early disease, so people get diagnosed faster.

AiArthritis and osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis and AiArthritis diseases are not the same thing. Get the free e-book that explains the difference

Why this organization exists

Faster diagnosis starts with people understanding what they are actually looking at.

Questions people ask about AiArthritis diseases

  • Is AiArthritis a diagnosis?

    No. AiArthritis is the umbrella term for a group of diseases, not a diagnosis on its own. Your diagnosis is the specific disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or Still's disease. We use one term because these diseases share the same early warning sign and are so often mistaken for each other.

  • How is this different from osteoarthritis?

    Osteoarthritis comes from cartilage wearing down over time. AiArthritis diseases come from your immune system attacking healthy tissue. The treatments are different, so being told the wrong one delays the care that would actually help. You can also have both at the same time.

  • Can I have an AiArthritis disease without a diagnosis?

    Yes, and many of us did for years. Research suggests more than half of people go undiagnosed or are diagnosed as undifferentiated. If your symptoms fit the pattern and nobody has named it yet, what you have lived through is still worth recording.

  • Do these diseases only affect joints?

    No. Because they start in the immune system, the inflammation travels through your bloodstream and can reach your eyes, lungs, skin, kidneys, heart and digestive system. Joint symptoms are often the first sign rather than the whole picture.

  • My disease is not on your list. Why not?

    We include diseases where inflammatory arthritis is a major, early feature for most patients. More than 80 other autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases can involve arthritis without it being a defining symptom. If you think yours belongs, email us and we review the list every year with medical specialists.

Advocate for Change

Most of us spent years being told our symptoms were something else. If that is where you are, the pattern you are describing is worth recording.