Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Paper

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

First, it is very difficult to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis in its early stages. It is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are very similar to many other diseases. Second, the treatment has no one cure. This means there are things you can do to help, but there is not one thing that cures it. Next, the environmental factors are very few. One of which is infection with certain bacteria and viruses may trigger the disease. The other reason is smoking tobacco. The testing and diagnosis, treatment, and environmental factors are very dreadful

Living with the pain, stiffness, and deformities associated with arthritis is possible, but living a normal life may require orthopedic surgery. Since your hands and fingers are used a great deal, you may not realize the symptoms you are having are due to arthritis. Considering millions of people have rheumatoid arthritis in their hands, it is helpful to understand this condition.

Any chronic illness can be extremely disruptive to family life. But, it can be possible to maintain balance by using coping strategies, as well as seeking help when necessary. Each member of the family wants some kind of support, while others members of the family may tend to provide the kind of support they would want to receive. This paper will educate the reader on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic condition which affects millions of people each year, in addition to providing three approaches to improve the affected person’s health and the family dealing with the illness. Certain lifestyle changes and activities can help improve a person’s ability to function independently while maintaining a positive outlook.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an inflammatory and autoimmune disease that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joints, causing horrific symptoms such as immense pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of physical function (What is rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?). Joint pain which affects over seventy million Americans each year, can be discomfort, pain, or inflammation arising from any part of a joint, including cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons, or muscles (Rheumatoid Arthritis.). It is very common in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis, which is inflammation or pain from within the joint itself. It can be mild, causing soreness only after certain activities, or it can be severe making even limited movement, particularly bearing

The rheumatoid arthritis cause is unknown and it affects various types of people (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The disease can develop despite one 's age, sex, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. The prevalence (the amount of people with the disease) of rheumatoid arthritis internationally ranges from. 4 to 1.3 percent, and in 2005, about 1.5

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.

Furthermore, RA is by far the most serious, painful, and potentially crippling form of arthritis. Thus, “the great crippler” is the name for this form of arthritis because it can lead to life-threatening deformities and horrendous impairment (Krishna et al 1988). Although, some sufferers have unyielding forms of the malady it can endure for many years or a lifespan. Subsequently, this mode of the ailment generates considerable joint mutilation. RA is a chronic autoimmune disease where in both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the disease process. Even though, there is no cure for RA, but new effective drugs are increasingly available to treat the disease and prevent deformed joint. Additionally, joint health can often progress with exercise, medication, and the right lifestyle habits.

Life presents everyone with various challenges, but a patient suffering with rheumatoid arthritis has a grim and debilitating existence. Thus, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a form of arthritis that produces pain, inflammation, stiffness, redness, tenderness, and extreme deformity of many joints of the human body. Thus, everyday activities pose a significant obstacle for a patient with this enervating condition. Surprisingly, most people RA lead highly productive, full, and rather satisfying lives. It has subsisted that two to three million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, and about 200,000 people are newly diagnosed each year. Therefore, about 1 percent of the population has this condition, which affects people of all races and ethnic groups. Even though, people of all ages can develop rheumatoid arthritis, it is most commonly first affects people in their twenties, thirties, and forties. Research shows that RA has three times more prevalent in women than men that have this condition (Shlotzhauer and Hoplans 2014). Therefore, this brief research will disclose the definition of Rheumatoid Arthritis, patient prevalence, diagnosis, prognosis, and patient experience.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic chronic inflammatory disease of the joints. (Kobayashi, Momohara, Kamatani, & Okamoto, 2008, p. 4456) The term ‘chronic' refers to a disease being long term, and the term ‘inflammatory' means a sudden response to tissue in the body being injured.

Moreover, the synovial inflammation results in small venules being occluded, which results in decreased vascular flow to the synovial tissue. The comprised circulation and increased metabolic needs result in hypoxia and metabolic acidosis. The erosion of the articular cartilage and the inflammation in the supporting ligaments and tendencies stimulated by acidosis. Inflammation results in hemorrhage, coagulation, and fibrin deposition on the synovial fluid. Also, the fibrin becomes pannus. So, it is believed that as the RA progresses the pannus extends into the adjacent articular cartilage and destroys it. Also, it is believed that the pannus forms on articular cartilage after the cartilage has been destroyed by inflammation. RA has systematic symptoms which include; fever, fatigue, weakness, anorexia, weight loss, and aching or stiffness. Local symptoms include painful, tender and stiff joints. Complications of RA are cysts in the articular cartilage or subchondral bone. Another complication is a rupture of a cyst or the actual synovial joint.Furthermore, both loss of motion and deformities are other complications that come from

Smoking is one potential cause. The CDC states that smoking can more than double your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Smoking is one of the few risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis that is entirely within your

Reumatoid Arthritis is an illness that have always intrigued me because many, many years ago, I met a kid my age, (15 years old) that was diagnose with arthritis. His joints were inflamated, he was in pain, and as the adults with arthritis, he was in pain. At that time I thought that osteoarthritis and reumatoid arthrits was an illess afecting only the old. It was then when I learn that kids can also get reumathoid arthritis that is called Juvenile Reumathic Arthritis (JRA) or Juvenile Ideopathic Arthritis (JIA).

So far, researchers have found genetic and environmental factors to play the largest role in the causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis. (“Early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is important,” 2016). Researchers have found that the genetic makeup of a person can help pre-determine if a person will be diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and even goes on to pre-determine how intense the disease will affect the individual. Although the environmental factors are still being researched, scientist are beginning to believe that there is an environmental trigger that happens to bring on the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis in an individual. (Vital, Communications, & Liaison, 2016) It is found that hormones also play a role in the development of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Research followed this theory once Rheumatoid Arthritis began appearing more in women than in

In the present study, when comparing IL-6 (_174 G/C) promoter polymorphism types with patients’ radiological findings and treatment data,; no statistically significant difference regarding joint or bone erosion by x-ray was found; however, all patients with CC genotype had bone erosion which was present in only 50% in the other genotypes in agreement with the results of Gaber et al., 2013 who utilized the modified Larsen score which detect bone erosion and found that it tended to be higher in those with CC genotype, but the difference was not significant. Supporting our results Ceccarelli et al., 2011 found that Interleukin-6 gene (_174G/C) has shown significant correlation with bone erosive damage in 77 Italian RA patients especially those with CC genotype (p= 0.007).