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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Men's Health, Women's Health / By

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the joints.

  • It causes a chronic inflammation of the tissue that produces lubrication fluid for joints and can also cause inflammation and injury in other body parts.
  • This condition is a progressive illness that leads to joint deformity and significant joint destruction.
  • The joint damage characterized by rheumatoid arthritis happens on both sides of the body. This is to say that if one joint is affected in one of the arm or legs, the same joint in the other arm or leg will be affected too. This is how doctors distinguish the condition from other forms of arthritis.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis affects people of all races and age but it most often begins after 40 years of age and before 60 years of age.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis that occurs in people below 16 years of age is referred to as juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
  • The disease is three times more common in men than in women.

CAUSES

The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known. However, it is believed that the likelihood of developing the condition may be genetically inherited. While genetic components don’t actually cause the condition, they can make the body susceptible to environmental factors such as infection with certain viruses and bacteria that may trigger the disease.

Some factors that may increase your chance of getting the disease may include your age, sex, family history, smoking, and obesity.

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms may include:

  • Fatigue
  • Joint swelling
  • Stiffness
  • Loss of energy
  • Weight loss
  • Joint and muscle pain
  • Low-grade fever

In some cases, a sufferer may experience sign and symptoms that don’t involve the joints.  May nonjoint structures may be affected, including

  • Skin
  • Eyes
  • Heart
  • Salivary glands
  • Bone marrow
  • Lungs
  • Nerve tissue
  • Livers

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis may be difficult in the early stage of the disease because symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases.

Your doctor may carry out a physical examination to check your joints for swelling, redness, and warmth.  Your doctor may also check your reflexes and muscle strength.

A blood test may be performed to check:

  • The erythrocyte sedimentation rate. People with rheumatoid arthritis have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate which may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process in the body.
  • Antinuclear antibody test, this is done to check if your immune system is producing antibodies.
  • Anticitrullinated protein antibody test (anti-CCP) that looks for the antibody that’s associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
  • C-reactive protein test, a severe inflammation in your body can trigger the liver to make C-reactive protein. A high level of this associated with Rheumatoid arthritis

Your doctor may recommend imaging tests such as X-rays to help track the progression of the condition in your joint over time. Your doctor can also use MRI and ultrasound to judge the severity of rheumatoid arthritis in your body.

TREATMENT

No cure exists for the condition. However, discoveries indicate that remission of symptom is possible when treatment starts early with strong medications known as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These drugs can slow the progression of the condition and can save the joints from permanent damage.

Corticosteroids medication can reduce inflammation and pain and slow joint damage

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve pain and reduce inflammation

Therapy may help to learn exercises to help keep your joints flexible.

An anti-inflammatory diet may be recommended to help with your symptoms. This kind of diet includes foods that contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids including walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and fatty fishes (herring, salmon, and mackerel).

Food high in antioxidants such as berries, spinach, kidney beans, and dark chocolates may also help to reduce inflammation.

Surgery may be recommended if medications fail to prevent or slow joint damage. Surgery may help restore your ability to use your joint and can reduce pain and deformities.

Surgery may include: synovectomy, tendon repair, joint fusion, or total joint replacements