Rheumatoid Arthritis Essay

Rheumatoid Arthritis or “RA” is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body tissues. This disease affects the lining of joints causing pain and swelling. Eventually the swelling can lead to bone erosion and joint deformity. RA can happen to anyone at any age, but the majority of people who have to endure this disease are women over the age of 40.

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

In order to establish a treatment, plan it is important to set goals for this patient. In general goals for RA include early recognition and diagnosis, referral to a rheumatologist, and tight control and low disease activity (Cohen & Cannella, 2017). There are also scales that need to be completed by the NP and patient to determine how the treatment is working for a patient. When setting goals, it is important to determine a successful way to evaluate this patients' pain. In the older population it is common for pain to be under treated and part of the cause of this is because the assessment for pain is not matching the patients' needs. Once a successful evaluation has been chosen for this pain it would be important to use this same

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

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the incurable diseases and turns chronic with progressive inflammatory of the synovial lining of peripheral joins. It is characterized by symmetric, chronic, and deforming polyatrhitis that causes long term joint disability when not controlled early. Considering there is no cure for this disease, management focuses on pain and inflammation reduction in order to prevent destruction of joints while at the same time preserving and improving on the functionality of the patient (Varatharajan et al, 2009).

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

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease which causes inflammation on joints leading to disability. The deterioration is caused by constant attack in the synovium leading to synovial cells to a rough and grainy tissue eventually allowing the bones to crumble away. The disease currently has no cure and scientists are thriving to find a target specifically aiming at the bones.

To help with inflammation, there are steroids like prednisone and hydroxychloroquine (Arthritisorg, 2015). Another drug to help with inflammation is the Disease- Modifying Antirhelumatic Drug. Some NSAID medicines to help with the pain are ibuprofen and aspirin (Mayoclinicorg, 2015). At home, some remedies can be putting hot and cold bags on the swelling, doing yoga, and doing physical therapy. A additional way is surgery, but there is no guaranteed the disorder is gone (Arthritisorg, 2015). With all these remedies, there is still no cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis. In fact, the disease may last for years or a lifetime (Mayoclinicorg,

There are 5 types of RA progression measured by imaging radiography. Type 1 is identified as a rare type, with no radiographic progression, type 2 is a slow or moderate onset with increasing progression, type 3 is a moderate-to-fast onset with stable progression, type 4 is a fast onset with a decreased progression rate, and type 5 is a slow onset with acceleration in progression, then deceleration (Graudal et al, 2004). Having any of the five types of RA can cause disability as a result of joint damage, lowers quality of life, and can lead to other comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, malignancies, and mental health conditions such anxiety and depression (Scott et al,

Biologics first made their premier as a treatment option for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) over fifteen years ago, when Enbrel was first introduced. Now it is one of the front runners for treatment of RA. Many studies and articles, such as Palmer’s (2012) article out of the British Journal of Nursing, has shown how beneficial and impactful Enbrel has been as a treatment option. Enbrel.com proclaims how symptoms start to improve in as early as two weeks, with most people seeing improvements within three months, with even more improvements seen by six months. The article by Dhillon, Lyseng-Williamson, and Scott (2011) states that in several well designed trials in patients with early or long-standing

A history and physical is the first thing exam that us done and based on those findings more tests are completed. A complete blood count is done to check for anemia which can be common in a RA patient and the white blood count. Positive RF occurs in approximately 80% of patients, and titers rise during active disease (Lewis et al., 2011). The RF is done to check how much in the blood and circulation throughout the body. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are done to check for active local and systemic inflammation. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) titers are also seen in some RA patients (Lewis et al., 2011). ANA checks for the bad antibodies that are attacking the joints. Synovial fluid analysis is used to help diagnosis inflammation, pain and swelling. Increase in the fluid of the patient with RA and it may be a marker of progressive joint damage (Lewis et al., 2011). X-rays are done to check for swelling, bone demineralization, narrowing of the joint, subluxation and deformity (Lewis et al., 2011). Bone scans are done to detect joint changes. These tests are done at the beginning of the disease process and throughout to check on the progression of

Unfortunately, we have a little evidence for the treatment of ILD associated with RA,due to the lack

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.