Rheumatoid Arthritis General Information

 

  

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis and can affect many different joints. It usually affects the same joints on both sides of the body, symmetric.

 

 
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Arthritis Facts

Arthritis can affect individuals of all ages, even children.

Arthritis consists of much more than just minor aches and pains.

There is no scientific evidence that a cure for arthritis exists.

Osteoarthritis is slowly progressive and worsens over years.

Arthritis occurs equally in men and women.

Previous trauma to any joint can cause arthritis.

Ankylosing spondylitis and gouty arthritis are inherited.

 

 

A recent study says that there is a risk of serious infections and malignancies with TNF inhibitors in people with rheumatoid arthritis. TNF inhibitors are an important treatment option for the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The patients on this treatment need to discuss their individual risk with their doctors.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

In rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the joint lining, called the synovium, is the cause of pain. You will feel the stiffness, swelling, warmth, and redness on the joint. The affected joint may also lose its shape, and this limits you to move freely.

Many doctors believe rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body's natural immune system does not operate as it should; it attacks healthy joint tissue, initiating a process of inflammation and joint damage. This disease is more common in women than in men and generally affects people between the ages of 20 and 50. Children can also develop a form of rheumatoid arthritis, called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

The joints of the fingers, wrists, arms and legs are affected and swelling, pain, deformity and stiffness are typically seen in rheumatoid arthritis. Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis may also affect the heart, lungs and eyes of some patients and can cause an overall feeling of sickness, fatigue as well as weight loss and fever.

Causes

Just like osteoarthritis, the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is also unknown. Some doctors believe that a virus or a bacterium may prompt rheumatoid arthritis to develop in those people who have a genetic predisposition to it. More than 60% of the people who have rheumatoid arthritis have an inherited chemical marker on their cells.

Typical symptoms

  • Joint tenderness, warmth, and swelling. Both sides of the body are usually affected at the same time.
  • Pain and stiffness in the morning or after a long period of inactivity.
  • Joint inflammation in the wrist and fingers.
  • Fatigue, fever, weakness.
  • Anemia, weight loss.

Although rheumatoid arthritis is usually a chronic disease, the duration of the symptoms may not be consistent; they come and go. For people with a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease can last for many years and lead to serious joint damage and disability.

 		 


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Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed

Doctor will check the followings:

  • Medical history and physical examination.
  • Blood test. Many people with rheumatoid arthritis have rheumatoid factor, an antibody.
  • Measuring your erythrocyte sedimentation rate People with rheumatoid arthritis tend to have abnormally high sed rates.
  • X-rays of your joints.

Check also Biofreeze - pain relief gel for arthritis.

 

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Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Typically, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen are used to reduce pain and swelling in the short term. To those who do not respond to NSAID treatment well, disease modifying drugs DMARDs may also be used. Exercise is always good for your arthritis to increase your strength and endurance. Stretching will help your joints retain or gain flexibility. Considering a surgery is sometimes necessary. Joint replacement can be your final option when its a sever case and you are overweight. Do not wait too long but talk to your doctor soon.