The effect of hypoxia on rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with synovitis as the main pathologic change, and acute exacerbation severely affects patients' quality of life, but its specific pathogenesis has not been clarified. The effects of low-pressure hypoxia brought on by high-altitude surroundings and intestinal hypoxia have received comparatively less attention, even though hypoxia is a distinct state in the synovium of RA. In an effort to offer fresh approaches and ideas for treating RA, reducing pain, and enhancing quality of life, this review updates the mechanism of synovial hypoxia on RA in recent years. It also advances the theory that intestinal hypoxia and low-pressure hypoxia in the external environment aggravate arthritis.