The Treatment Of 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

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

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 hand joints. RA is

RA can lead to crippling. It incapacitates the synovial tissue, which is the membrane that lines joints and secretes the lubricant that normally allows bones to move painlessly against other bones. With this condition, joints (most commonly the

If ones doctor suspects RA they may perform blood test to check for protein in the blood (This is present in about 2 in 3 people with RA. However, about 1 in 20 of the normal population has rheumatoid factor), and x-rays of the hands and feet may be done to detect any early deformations of the joints. If an individual’s doctor suspects that they may have RA, they usually will refer the patient to a rheumatologist who specialize in the joints and this type of disease. There is no cure for RA, but proper treatment for RA can make a big difference in reducing symptoms and to improve quality of life. Some of the main aims of treatment are: to decrease the disease from progressing to prevent joint damage, to reduce pain and stiffness in the affected joints, to minimize any disability caused by pain, joint damage, or deformities. A common medication prescribed for RA are disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine, and hydroxychloroquine. This can be with medication such as steroids, NSAIDS, and often times will treat with pain killers because the pain is so intense. Eating a healthy diet and excising is always

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of connective tissue in the diarthrodial (synovial) joints, typically with periods of remission and exacerbation (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, & Camera, 2011). The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. Autoimmunity and genetic factors are believed to be important in the development of RA. Genetic predisposition appears to be important in the development of RA (Lewis et al., 2011). The strongest evidence for a familial influence is the increased occurrence of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) (Lewis et al., 2011). Smoking can increase the risk of RA for a person who has a genetic predisposition. Autoimmunity theory suggests that changes

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the musculoskeletal system. This means that certain cells of the immune system do not work properly and start attacking healthy tissues — the joints in RA. The cause of RA is not known. When inflammation occurs in the joint, immune cells release chemicals which attack the cartilage and bone, causing the swelling that leads to pain. This type of disease can cause many difficulties in the body itself. Such as pain, stiffness, swelling in joints, limited motion, loss of energy and appetite, low fevers, dry eyes and mouth, firm lumps at extremities and body discomforts. Rheumatoid arthritis mainly affects the small joints in the body like hands and feet. In rare cases, rheumatoid arthritis

Although the etiology and pathogenesis of RA have yet to be completely known, recent findings suggest a number of factors have been identified as

The causes of RA have been disputed in the past, but as ground-breaking research continues steadily, more clarity about the cause of the disease is slowly being achieved. However, the complete and exact cause is still unknown, while the hereditary nature thereof is still greatly disputed. Where many researchers believe that RA is hereditary and passed on from generation to generation, others believe that genes play no role in the development of RA and that environmental factors are the cause thereof. Still others believe that although certain genes play a role in the development of RA, these genes occur randomly and are not inherited.

According to O’Sullivan and colleagues, RA is an autoimmune disease, where the etiology is not known and can be complicated. This disease is currently understood to have a genetic back ground determined by the risk of disease enlargement and grouping of families (O’Sullivan, Schmitz, & Faulk, 2014). O’Sullivan et al moves on to express that an antigen, (which is a foreign substance acting towards the host), starts to push the immune system into action, causing the immune system to react. Then the immune system reacts directly to the antigen by cellular immunity or by the creation of antibodies, immunoglobulins that are a form of serum protein, proceeds to travel in the serum by humoral immunity (O’Sullivan et al.,

People have long feared rheumatoid arthritis (commonly called RA) as one of the most disabling types of arthritis. The good news is that the outlook has greatly improved for many people with newly diagnosed and detected RA. Of course, RA remains a serious disease, and one that can vary widely in symptoms and outcomes. Even so, treatment advances have made it possible to stop or at least slow the worsening of joint damage. Rheumatologists now have many new treatments that target the inflammation that RA causes. They also understand better when and how to use treatments to get the best effects.

Presentation. Patient diagnosed with RA may have medical history of periodontitis, smoking, genetic predisposition, nulliparous, and family history of RA. Genetics may account for approximately 60% of risk associated with RA. Smoking has been the only confirmed environmental trigger for RA. Genes that affect the immune system may make some people more prone to getting RA. Physical symptoms upon exam may be subtle such as achy joints or morning stiffness. Other symptoms may include swelling, tenderness, limitation of joint movement, joint deformity, and warmth of involved joints. Less common presenting factors include fever, weight loss, and lyphadenopathy. Muscle atrophy could present near affected joints along with disproportionate weakness. Cutaneous findings are common and may include nodules with ulcers or petechia, purpura, or nodular erythema related to vascultitis. RA usually starts to affect small joints in the fingers, balls of the feet, and the wrists bilaterally. As disease progresses, RA can affect any joint, causing permanent damage, and even lead to systemic damage. Extraarticular manifestations may include anemia, pericarditis, Raynaud’s, interstitial lung disease, scleritis, neuropathy, pleuritis, lynphadenopathy, and splenomegaly. Initial evaluation of the patient with RA should include documentation of symptoms of

In addition to the discussion I would like to briefly explain the pathophysiology of RA. The interaction of genetic risk factors, environment and the immune systems are the main pathogens in RA. Regardless of the initial factors, RA progresses, when an amino acid required for protein synthesis is converted from arginine to citrulline (called citrullination), which alters the structure and function of the proteins. The body's immune system does not recognise these citrullinated proteins as self, and so begins to attack the immune system and occurs persistent inflammation of the synovium and bone destruction. Ongoing damage in the joint causes persistent inflammation and generates large amounts of inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. Circulation of high levels of these pro-inflammatory mediators causes the synovial joint inflammation (Casey 2015).

Genetics influence a high percentage of cases; according to de De Vries (2011), 50-60% of sero-positive and 30-50% of sero-negative cases are influenced by hereditary factors. A greater understanding of this area could bring new found appreciation of RA pathogenesis and treatment methods (Mikuls 2012).

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease (McInnes & Schett, 2011; Smolen & Steiner, 2003; O'Dell, 2004) wherein the immune response of the body is aberrant, tagging the healthy cells of the body as non-self or foreign which therefore leads the body to attack and eliminate its own tissues. RA affects the synovial joints and is characterized by joint inflammation and the tissues surrounding it (Curtis, Gaffo, & Saag, 2006). Moreover, around millions of the Earth’s population are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (Bingham & Ruffing, 2016). Patients detected to have this disease experience pain, stiffness or swelling in their joints (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nd; Drane, Berry, Bieri, McFarlane, & Brooks, 1997; Bellamy,