Essay On Rheumatoid Arthritis

RA can affect anyone, but women are the ones who usually suffer the most. The best thing to do if a person notices symptoms is to go to their doctor immediately, doing so could catch the symptoms before they get worse and do

Several predisposing factors were identified in S.P.’s medical history. She is at risk for infection due to her medications methotrexate and prednisone. The client is at risk for bleeding because of the new order for Lovenox and Coumadin (Orlicka, Barnes, & Culver, 2013). S.P.’s smoking history puts her at risk for anemia on top of her RA and surgery being a major risk for anemia.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. While inflammation of the tissue around the joints and inflammatory arthritis are characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease can also cause inflammation and injury in other organs in the

E. Drugs that block the effect of tumor necrosis factor have not been useful or effective for treating RA patients.

Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis. RA is a progressive and debilitating musculoskeletal disorder that affects the joints symmetrically, causing a range of systemic effects. What it causes is still not well known; nevertheless, findings of new research points towards a believe that it is triggered by a defective immune system, which causes the release of inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals cause damage to cartilage and bone, usually affecting the wrists, the joints of the hand, including the knuckles, the middle joints of the fingers and feet. While this condition can affect any joints, besides, important body organs such as the eyes and the lungs can also be affected by the inflammation that occurs as a result of this chronic condition. Only in America 1.3 million of people are affected by this ailment, and 75 % of them are mainly women. Its onset usually occurs between fourth and sixth decades; however, RA can occur at any age("Diseases And

Rheumatoid arthritis has a tendency to worsen over time requiring adjustments in pain medications. What would your medication plan be to keep your patient with tolerable pain levels?

Rheumatoid Arthritis has been subject of numerous studies and researches in the look for a better understanding of how it effects the individuals diagnosed with it. There is a higher incident of females diagnosed with RA than male as well as a relationship with genetic and environmental factors involved. Around one percent of the world population is affected by RA; therefore, diverse studies have been performed to understand how the lives of the diagnosed patients can be impacted by the disease. For example, how RA affects the mobility, safety and activities of daily living in general as well as the development of interventions to better approach RA. On

The type of treatment chosen depends on the type of arthritis and the effects it has on the patient as well as the severity of the disease. Other factors to consider are the age of the patient and the joints affected. Bearing in mind that different people exhibit different reactions to different medications, treatment in this case is individualized but includes a combination of joint protection methods and medication. For rheumatoid arthritis, the Initial treatment starts with non steroidal ant inflammatory drugs and other simple analgesic but as the inflammation progresses, slow acting anti rheumatoid drugs which are aimed at modifying the disease are introduced. They are added progressively as the inflammation progresses in order to suppress the process that leads to chronic inflammation (Amin 1995).

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that is characterized by inflammation of the peripheral joints, but it may also involve the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. The prevalence of this autoimmune disease is between 0.3% to 1.5% of the population in the United States (Feinberg, pp 815). It affects women two to three times more often than men, and the onset of RA is usually between 25 and 50 years of age, but it can occur at any age (Reed, pp 584). RA can be diagnosed by establishing the presence of persistent joint pain, swelling in a symmetric distribution, and prolonged morning stiffness. RA usually affects multiple joints, such as the hands, wrists, knees, elbows, feet, shoulders, hips, and small

When comparing this patient to a healthy patient it is obvious that she has some mobility issues and some pain. Mrs. Johnson’s RA has taken a toll on the body and joints. Her ankles showed signs of swelling. She cannot sit for too long, otherwise her legs will start to fall asleep and she will have a lot of trouble standing up. Mrs. Johnson has a great attitude and manages to get around fine. She moves slow and stiff but gets where she needs to go.

Most of the time when we think about this disease we immediately think about the joint damage but this disease can affect multiple areas within the body. Pericarditis can occur during a severe flare which can interfere with the hearts ability to work well. Also, a decrease in red blood cells can occur which leads to anemia. Thrombocytosis is another complication in which the inflammation leads to increased levels of platelets within the blood. This can cause clotting and lead to strokes. Within the lungs another possible complication is that of pleurisy which causes breathing to be a painful process. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause nodules to form on the lungs and the heart as well which can lead to a variety of complications. Susceptibility to infection is a great concern, not only because of the disease itself but usually the immune suppressing medicines that treat it. This disease also causes many problems within the eyes. Inflammation of the sclera and Sjogren’s Sydrome can occur which can lead to dry, red, irritated and painful eyes. In the skin, nodules and vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) can

Many health problems affect the elderly population. It seems like every day there is a new health problem that many elderly people have to deal with. One of the problems that affect the elderly is Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is commonly known as RA. When elderly people have been diagnosed with RA it is usually caused by their immune system, which has become weak over time. Having RA causes a lot of pain for elderly people usually in their feet and hands. Some treatments can help with RA, if the doctors can catch it in time before it gets too bad. Many people don’t really know what RA is or what causes it. So what is RA? What causes it? What are some of the symptoms? How is RA treated? How does RA affect the elderly?

Rheumatoid Arthritis or (RA) is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joints and connective tissue. The result is inflammation that produces permanent damage in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that tends to be progressive and destructive as compared to Osteoarthritis or (OA), which is more of an age related disease caused by “wear and tear” of the joints. In contrast to (OA), rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation mostly of the joints, but is a general body disease.

The doctor preforms a physical exam, checks for symptoms, and sometimes x-rays the body to diagnose arthritis. In the article “Diagnosis and Management of RA”, it speaks about the earlier the disease is caught and the more physical exams and studies are performed then the better the outcome of the disease (Majithia, 2007, p. 936-939). My grandmother has arthritis, and treatments vary from medications to therapy and she functions off the use of medications to reduce the pain. The article, “Arthritis Prevalence and Activity Limitations in Older Adults” says that there are physical activity limitations when diagnosed with Arthritis such as a small use of affected joints and stiffness during activities (Dunlap, 2001, p.212-221). From my training

Rheumatic disorders are frequently complicated by co-existence of comorbidities. Co-morbidity is a medical condition that co-exists with the disease such as RA. A co-morbid condition in RA influences the progression and severity of disease which directly affects the quality of life, treatment of primary as well as secondary (Co-morbid) disease. There have been great chances arise due to the co-morbid condition for the social and economic burden,