Rheumatoid Arthritis : An Autoimmune Disease

Rheumatoid arthritis cannot be cured, but there are treatments that help ease the symptoms, and help one cope with the disease. For example, a study on Tai chi has shown relief in rheumatoid arthritis patients (Uhlig 2010). Tai Chi program consists of improving muscle strength, balance, muscle tone, flexibility and mobility to the body. Therefore, doing exercise movements that are low in intensity, and not cause stress to the body. For example, stretches of muscles, extension, and flexion of knees, head, and neck (Uhlig 2010). Another treatment available is acupuncture which is part of the Chinese medicine. Acupuncture has shown to manipulate the pain by boosting natural pain killers in the body called endorphins ( Ratini 2015) Treatment and follow-up appointments are very important to help with the disease, and see if adjustments or changes need to make (Ruderman and Tambar 2010). Living with rheumatoid arthritis is possible with the right treatments and positive

Rheumatoid Arthritis, what is it? The word Rheumatoid comes from the greek word referring to rheumatism, which means any painful disorder from the joints. Arthritis means inflammation of the joint. (William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979). Putting these two words together Rheumatoid Arthritis creates a disorder. The pathophysiology of RA is that it is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disease which means that this disorder is attacking your own body (Silvestri, 2013, p. 851 ). This usually happens at the joints where two bones meet that create movement of body parts. This disorder is systemic and usually if it happens one side,

Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis are advised by doctors to start treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). DMARDs help relieve the symptoms as well as the progression from joint damage. A common DMARD used in relieving the symptoms and stopping the progression of joint damage is Methotrexate. “Although biologic agents were first established as combination therapy with DMARDs such as MTX, Gómez-Reino discusses data from clinical trials in which biologic monotherapy was used as an effective treatment for patients with RA”(Smolen & Keystone ,2012). DMARDs such as methotrexate is an effective treatment for treating the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. DMARDs are often prescribed along with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to assist in reducing swelling and

Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA has been around since early humanity. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory joint disease, which can cause cartilage and bone damage. Diseased joints have been found in well preserved Egyptian mummies. Showing that arthritis was prevalent among Egyptians. Hippocrates a Greek physician who is known for the Hippocratic oath, described the symptoms of arthritis. It was not until 216 AD that the term rheumatismus was used to describe the joint inflammation. Alfred Baring Garrod, an English physician, in the mid 1800s named the disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis to help distinguish the disease from osteoarthritis and gout. In 1932 the committee of Rheumatism was created and it later became the American College of Rheumatology.

For instance, taking over the counter anti-inflammatory pills can help reduce inflammation (As the name might suggest) and reduce some of the pain or discomfort that would be caused. Besides anti-inflammatory pills, there are also more specific RA pills called Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (or DMARDs for short.) DMARD’s are essentially vital in treating RA, because they will halt or slow the progression of RA by interrupting the process in the immune system that creates inflammation. By doing this, the inflammation will nearly stop in the affected areas which will cause RA to develop at an extremely slower rate than normal which is one of the best outcomes available with current medical technology. On the other hand, it can take up to 6 months for these drugs to reach their full

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that typically affects the small joints in the hands and feet. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, RA affects the lining of the joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. In America, RA is the most common form of autoimmune arthritis, affecting more than 1.3 million Americans. Of these, about 75% are women. The disease most often begins between the fourth and sixth decades of life. However, the RA also can start at any age. In Malaysia, RA affects about 5 in 1000 people. According to Malaysian Statistic on Medicine in 2005, the total drug expenditure in 2005 for the treatment of inflammatory and rheumatic diseases was RM 50.7 million, and form 7.8% of the top 40 prescribed drugs in Malaysia. It was ranked 5th as the highest prescribed group of drugs (MOH, 2004).

Rhuematoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder in which the body essentially attacks itself. This leads to problems such as swelling and pain in the joints and synovial tissues. Swelling and pain can be exacerbated by deformities. The disorder can also affect other systems in the body such as the lungs and blood vessels. Some problems that may arise are extreme fatigue, inability to move in the morning, joint pain and tenderness in the upper and lower limbs. “It usually involves more than five joints, affects both sides of your body, and preferentially targets the small joints of the wrists, hands, and feet” (Curts, Gaffo, Kenneth, 2006, 2451.) Initially, RA typically targets the smaller

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease that many people suffer from. This is disease is very painful and cause your joints to swell and become stiff and restricts the motion of that that joint. This is an autoimmune disease that your immune system cells function improperly that causes them to attack the ligaments and joints. Also, it is genetic and environmental can play a role in this disease developing in the joints. This diseases symptoms are stiffness of the joints of over an hour, swollen joints, appetite or weight loss, and feeling fever in your joints. Allow it is hard for the doctors to diagnosis this diseases because it has many of the same side effects as other diseases. They run many tests and x rays trying to detect what is wrong. Rheumatoid

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a very common disease associated with aging, which affects the mobility of an individual. RA is a disabling disease, which makes an individual cannot perform his/her daily tasks and exercises which is vital to our health. Patients who suffer from RA have high risk to have cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as myocardial infarction and cardiac death than those without RA. Early detection of the RA, and the possibility to have CVD in the later period is a must to give medications and physical motor interventions.

The insidious onset of this disease produces manifestations such as joint pain, swelling of hands, feet, and knees, fatigue, malaise, and furthermore anorexia. Since RA is characterized by systemic joint inflammation, there are numerous other illnesses that share the same ailments. Similar signs and symptoms of this disease are also found in patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis, which is inflammation of the bones. However, unlike RA, osteoarthritis is not autoimmune and is caused from everyday wear and tear of the body. Osteoarthritis tends to have a gradual, slow onset with pain affecting only areas of bone damage, where RA is systemic rapidly progressive, and can lead to widespread fatigue. Ankylosing spondylitis is also a systemic inflammation process but with that of the spinal column joints. Fibromyalgia, a medical condition characterized by widespread joint pain, can be ruled out in a patient with RA due to the fact that

Rheumatoid is a Chronic inflammatory disease , which is an inflammation in synovial tissues lining of joints causing proliferations and erodes cartilage & bones surface .the surrounding tendons and muscles that stabilize the joints will become weak and lose its function , leading to joints damage

The goal of most medications used to treat the disease is to decrease pain, heat and swelling in the affected joint(s).

In clinical trials, rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed formally by using seven American Rheumatism Association (ARA) criteria. The typical outpatient practice, a definitive diagnosis using these criteria may be difficult to obtain early in the disease process. During the initial visit, patients should be asked about degree of pain, duration of stiffness and fatigue, and functional limitations. A careful joint examination looking for the characteristics described above is vital (Rindfleisch & Muller, 2005) and other diagnostic tests can also be performed. The initial and most simple way of diagnosing is to take an X-ray. This can help the doctor to differentiate RA from

Arthritis is a disease process that many people are affected by today. It is defined as, “painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints”. Within arthritis, there are two different types of this inflammatory disease; osteoarthritis, which is the result of, bones rubbing together due to loss of synovial fluid and rheumatoid arthritis which is caused by an autoimmune disease process. There are many different treatment options available from over the counter medication to powerful prescription medication.

As the disease progresses it goes on to affect larger joints such as wrists, ankles, and then elbows, hips and shoulders, etc. Since RA affects the lining of your joints, it causes a painful swelling that in extreme cases can cause bone erosion and/or joint deformity. The Mayo Clinic further describes RA as “An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body's tissues. In addition to causing joint problems, rheumatoid arthritis sometimes can affect other organs of the body — such as the skin, eyes, lungs and blood vessels.” (“Diseases and Conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis: Definition”). This autoimmune disease can occur at just about any age, but most commonly strikes at the age of 40, and is fairly much more common in women versus men. The pattern of RA varies between each host. This meaning that it could be a continuous worsening of symptoms over time, or it could come and go in events often called “flare-ups”. The Mayo Clinic describes this sort of pattern as the following, “Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity, called flares, alternate with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear.” (“Diseases and Conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis: Symptoms”) Treatment for this disease revolves mostly around controlling symptoms, managing pain, and avoiding further joint damage at all costs with medication, physical therapy/rehabilitation, and keeping the patient