Collagen is the main protein within the bone, cartilage and connective tissue. The collagen vascular diseases are a group of diseases that stem from abnormalities in the connective tissue. Some of these diseases may be characterized by inflammation within the blood vessels, while others involve problems with the immune system. Various treatments are available, however.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are steroid hormones that are made in the outer part of the adrenal gland, called the adrenal cortex, Dr. George Chrousos, chairman at the Athens University Medical School, says in “Basic & Clinical Pharmacology.” The hormones are a treatment for the collagen vascular diseases of scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis and polymyositis because corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and they suppress the immune system. These diseases are inflammatory diseases. And people with these diseases have antibodies that attack parts of the body instead of only attacking foreign substances. Antibodies are a part of the immune system.
NSAIDs
NSAID is an abbreviation for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. This is a treatment for the joint pain of systemic lupus erythematosus, Dr. Rula Hajj-ali of the Center of Vasculitis Care and Research writes in the Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. NSAIDs treat pain and are anti-inflammatory. They inhibit enzymes called cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2. Enzymes are proteins the body uses to speed up the time that a process will take. Cyclooxygenase-1 is an enzyme that protects the lining of the stomach. But cyclooxygenase-2 speeds up the production of substances that are part of an inflammatory process. NSAIDs are anti-inflammatory by interfering with cyclooxygenase-2.
Cyclophosphamide
In the Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals, Hajj-ali writes that cyclophosphamide is a treatment for people who are suffering from a severe form of systemic lupus erythematosus. It is also a treatment for the collagen vascular disease of scleroderma. The medication works by interfering with DNA so cells cannot duplicate. As a result, it suppresses the B cells and T cells by about 30 to 40 percent, Dr. Daniel Furst, professor of rheumatology at the University of California, says in “Basic & Clinical Pharmacology.” The B cells and T cells are two types of white blood cells, and they are part of the immune system.
Calcium-Channel Blockers
The smooth muscle in the blood vessels needs calcium to contract. This treatment blocks the flow of calcium. One of the symptoms of scleroderma is called Raynaud’s syndrome. Dr. John Hallett Jr., clinical professor of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina, explains this syndrome in the Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. In Raynaud’s, the blood vessels in the hand may spasm when people are going through stressful periods or in response to cold temperatures. The calcium channel blockers relax the blood vessels.
Azathioprine
Physicians may prescribe this treatment instead of cyclophosphamide for people with a severe form of systemic lupus erythematosus. Like cyclophosphamide, azathioprine also suppresses the B cells and T cells, Furst says in “Basic & Clinical Pharmacology.”
References
- “Basic & Clinical Pharmacology”; Bertram Katzung, M.D., Ph.D., Susan Masters, Ph.D., Anthony Trevor, Ph.D.; 2009
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Raynaud’s Syndrome
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
