Advances in research on relationship between intestinal flora and rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by synovial hyperplasia, symmetry of peripheral joints and erosive arthritis.Previous studies have shown the changes in the structure and quantity of intestinal flora in RA patients, and reaserches on probiotics have attracted much attention because probiotics can regulate the immune system function, adjust the flora structure to prevent or treat RA.This review summarizes the role of intestinal flora in the pathogenesis of RA by analyzing the changes of intestinal flora structure and quantity in RA patients.Then we also summarized the treatment strategies of probiotics in RA patients. Key words: Probiotics; Rheumatoid arthritis; Immune; Treatment