Symptoms And Treatment Of Arthritis

"Rheumatoid joint inflammation is an interminable infection set apart by irritation of the joints, frequently influencing the hand joints and both sides of the body in the meantime" (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 2009).

More than 6.1 million people in Australia suffer from arthritis. Arthritis is a disease characterized by pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. There are more than 100 types of disease which is one of the most chronic in the world. It impacts on a person’s basic daily tasks causing joint weakness, uncertainty, and distortion. It affects community, both economic and personal resulting the need for more hospitals and primary health care services. The number of people with arthritis is higher at old ages, however there are more people who are suffering from this disease are between 35 to 64 years group. Arthritis is not yet curable and treatments vary depending on the type of arthritis. To

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).

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, is a form of arthritis characterized by the breakdown of cartilage within joints. Cartilage serves to provide cushion at the ends of bones, and when the cushion is not sufficient, as in osteoarthritis, the bones rub together. As a result, osteoarthritis sufferers are constantly plagued by stiff, swollen, and inflamed joints (http://www.arthritis.org/answers/diseasecenter/oa.asp). It is a relatively common condition, with an estimated 20 million American sufferers, most of whom are elderly (http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/1668.50297). Traditional treatments include Tylenol, aspirin, or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

At today's visit he is accompanied by his son in law and daughter. He reports pain in his hands and fingers that is a result of his RA. The pain starts in his fingers and radiates up his arms. He also complain of pain in his back that he contributes to his history of herniated discs. The severity of his pain is a 2/10. He decribe the pain as a shooting pain that is worst at night and when he relaxes. He states that since starting oxycodone IR 5 mg every 8 hours as needed, his pain is much better. He takes an average 1-2 prn dose daily. He feel that this regimen is effective in palliating his pain. He complain of neuropathic pain in legs, he have numbness and tingling in both lower legs. He uses Voltarin Cream BID and take Gabapentin 400mg

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.

At today's visit he is accompanied by his wife. He is awake, alert and oriented. He reports that his back pain has improved with the pain regimen he was started on last Friday. He complains of lower back pain that he describes as achy and constant; he rates his pain as a 7/10 in severity. He states that his pain doe not radiate, but it affects his mobility and impedes his ability to get out of bed by himself. His pain regimen is Morphine ER 15 mg p.o every 12 hours and oxycodone/apap 10/325 mg p.o every 4 hours as needed for breakthrough pain. He has taken 6 as needed breakthrough doses daily since Friday. He states that his pain has improved but his goal is to have his pain a little better than 7/10, then he will be able to perform his ADLS

Huston states,” Joints are extremely damaged and the only thing that will help the pain at this point is replacing the joints.” She applies cold therapy to reduce pain in the joints and does range of motion three times. RA treatment includes disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs, and biologic therapy (Walker, 2012). Physician uses DMARDs as a common treatment for patient who just got diagnosis of RA, and the drugs have side effect that nurses need to educate patient about (Firth, 2012). Biologic drugs are another RA treatment available for patient. Biologic drugs are very expensive and their main target are cells, molecules, B-cell, and tumor necrosis that start the disease process. Hot and cold packs are common treatment used to reduce inflammation and allow client to complete their task, and move around (Walker,

In general, arthritis is a group of more than one hundred inflammatory diseases that damage joints and their surrounding structures, resulting in symptomatic pain, disability, and system wide inflammation (Rogers). Out of the one hundred plus types of arthritis, the two most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

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 over 100 types of arthritis, and the symptoms of each one affects different parts of the body. The symptoms can develop over a long period of time or suddenly appear, and it can affect people of all age groups from children to the elderly. Symptoms of arthritis pain include stiffness and swelling in the joints, and the pain tends to be worse in the morning than at any other time of the day. Unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis, but with the right diagnosis, a doctor can rule out other source of the pain and properly treat the arthritis symptoms.

DOI: 12/09/2000. This is a 58-year-old male sanitary engineer who sustained an injury to the low back when he fell while stepping down a ladder. Patient is diagnosed with other intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region. He is status post lumbar spine surgery on 05/19/2006. Per medical report dated 5/26/16, the patient complains of lower back pain which has increased since his last visit, rated as 9/10 without medication. His quality of sleep is poor and activity level remains the same. As per office notes dated 6/26/16, the patient rates his pain as 9 with medications and 10 if without medication. He states that the medication is working well and no side effects noted. CURES (Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System)

The increase of macrophages and fibroblast synoviocytes results in hyperplasia of the lining. Enzymes that destroy and digest the extracellular matrix and articular structures such as metalloproteinase, serine proteases, and aggrecanase will be present in the joints. According to the American rheumatism association there are criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis, these are as follows: 1) morning stiffness in and around joints lasting at least 1 hour before maximal improvement; 2) soft tissue swelling (arthritis) of 3 or more joint areas observed by a physician; 3) swelling (arthritis) of the proximal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, or wrist joints; 4) symmetric swelling (arthritis); 5) rheumatoid nodules; 6) the presence of rheumatoid factor; and 7) radiographic erosions and/or periarticular osteopenia in hand and/or wrist joints (Arnett et al. 1988). As for treatment there is no cure but only reduction of symptoms. Analgesic drugs reduce pain, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) lessen pain 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.

Arthritis is a joint disorder, which affects one or several joints in the body. The condition has more than one hundred types of diseases with osteoarthritis being the most common. Osteoarthritis results from joint infection, or age. Patients that suffer from arthritis complain about pain in the joints. In most cases, the pain remains constant in the affected joint. It is worth noting, “The pain from arthritis is due to inflammation that occurs around the joint, damage to the joint from disease, daily wear and tear of joint, muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff painful joints and fatigue” (Reid, Shengelia & Parker, 2012, p. 40). However, joint pain could result from various diseases, and in such