Interview × Specialist

＞Interview＞Interview × Specialist

When we are summarizing immunity, we often see the word "unexplained."
Although immunology is still being actively researched, there are many things that have not yet been elucidated.
What kind of person is active at the cutting edge?
We interviewed Dr. Omura.（Interview 2020/11/14）

About immunity

Q.　When did you become interested in immunology (the current specialty of Dr. Omura, rheumatism) and decided to study it?

A.　It's been since I was a trainee.
I was curious about what was happening among the patients with collagen disease.
I became interested in rheumatism after I started working at Dogo Onsen Hospital (in Ehime Prefecture) after studying abroad.
Collagen disease is an immune disease that is common in relatively young people, and if a diagnosis is delayed or treatment is mistaken, that person's life will change significantly.
To put it the other way around, I found it worthwhile to be able to save patients depending on the ability of the doctor.
Some patients with rheumatism are severely ill, while others get better with mild treatment.
I felt that the reason why this difference occurred was the key to understanding and controlling the disease.
We talked to Dr. Omura about rheumatism in detail.

About his specialty

We talked about rheumatism in detail.
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common autoimmune disease, affecting approximately 1 in 100 people.
The true cause is still unknown, but it is thought that it may be related to the constitution to some extent. It is also said that people with lung disease, smoking, and periodontal disease are more likely to develop rheumatism. But now we know what's wrong and where to suppress it to relieve the symptoms.
In addition, treatment has made considerable progress in the last 15 years, and not only artificial joints, which are the main treatment method, but also a drug called Resicade began to be used in 2003. It is difficult to cure the disease itself because the cause is unknown, but I think that medicine can eliminate the symptoms.
Although not limited to rheumatism, there are many fake treatments and information on the Internet. It is important not only for the patients themselves but also for the people around them to be careful not to be confused by it. Also, in daily life, it is important to quit smoking and to brush your teeth on a daily basis to prevent periodontal disease.