Inflammatory diseases are related to the immune system -- the body’s protection against invasion of infections and toxins. In these diseases, the immune system becomes unregulated and attacks the body’s own healthy cells, mistaking them for cells that do not belong. The result can be any one of about 80 autoimmune diseases, which affect more than 50 million people in the United States.

In many autoimmune diseases, the uncontrolled activation of inflammatory pathways causes serious damage to cells, tissue, joints or organs. Inflammatory diseases include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Patients suffering from these diseases can suffer from inflammation of the lining or connective tissue of the joints, or other parts of the body.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is one of the chemical messengers that help regulate the inflammatory process. When the body produces too much TNF, it overwhelms the immune system’s ability to control inflammation in the joints.