Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis – General Information

Rheumatoid Arthritis (also abbreviated RA) is considered to be a chronic and inflammatory autoimmune disease which leads the immune system to attack the joints. This disabling and painful disease can lead to a substantial loss of the mobility as a consequence of the pain and joint destruction. As the Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic disease, it may also affect the extra articular tissues from all over the body, including the following: skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles. The damage of the joints is caused by the inflammation which is the normal response of the body’s immune system to the “assaults” which can be: foreign objects, wounds or infections. The inflammation causes pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints and may affect other organs as well. In the cases in which the inflammation is not treated (slowed or stopped) it can lead to serious damage to the affected joints and other tissues.

This medical condition usually affects the smaller joints such as those from the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. The symptoms can lead to significant disability and discomfort. Many people who are suffering from the Rheumatoid Arthritis find it difficult to carry out the normal daily activities such as standing, walking, dressing, using the toilet, washing, cooking and carrying different things.  The symptoms of this medical condition in the majority of the cases interferes with the daily work and more than half of the people who have been diagnosed with this disease are not able to work after 10-20 years after the diagnosis has been established.

Rheumatoid Arthritis – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Rheumatoid Arthritis) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from this disorder, may experience, although each individual experiences them differently.

Synovitis is the primary symptom of the RA and it affects the synovial joint. The joint synovitis can lead to a chronic arthritis and deformities. The inflammation of the joints manifests as a soft, swelling pain, tenderness to palpation and movement, local warmth and even functional impairment. The morning stiffness is also one of the most important signs of this medical disorder and can last more than an hour. As the diseases progresses the inflammatory activity leads to erosion and also to the destruction of the joint surface which leads to the impairment of the moves and leads to deformity. Here is a list of the signs and symptoms which may develop at the cutaneous level: viral infections, drug reactions, lobular panniculitis, and atrophy of the digital skin, palmar erythema, diffuse thinning. Also the patient’s lungs may also be involved and fibrosis may appear spontaneously as a consequence of the therapy.

Rheumatoid Arthritis – Treatment

There is no existent cure for the Rheumatoid Arthritis; the treatments available for this medical condition are aimed to reduce the inflammation from the joints, to relieve the pain, to prevent and to slow down the joint damage and to relive the symptoms. The aggressive and early treatment of the Rheumatoid Arthritis may help to slow down the joint damage and may reduce considerably the risk of the disability. The available treatments are usually based on medications which relieve the pain and slow down the progression of the disease and the joint damage. Another treatment method is surgery which is usually used only in the cases of severe joint damage.

The medication treatment the doctor will prescribe depends on the severity of the Rheumatoid Arthritis and on the general health state of the patients. Here is a list of the most common medications which the doctor or personal health care provider may recommend to the patients who are suffering from this medical condition; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (also abbreviated NSAIDs) are helpful in reducing the inflammation and relieving the pain. The most recommended NSAIDs are ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. The stronger drugs from this category are available only with prescription. These drugs may lead to a series of side effects if they are used at high dosage or for a long period of time. The side effects from these drugs include: heart problems, gastric ulcers, stomach bleeding, liver and kidney damage. Steroids such as prednisone and methyprednisolone (also known as Medrol) help in reducing the inflammation and also relieving the pain and they might also be helpful in slowing down the joint damage. These drugs also have side effects such as easy bruising, thinning bones, cataracts, diabetes and weight gain. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (also known as DMARDs) are usually prescribed in order to minimize the amount of the joint damage which usually appears in the Rheumatoid Arthritis. These drugs are usually recommended by the doctors to be used in combination with other medicines (such as the corticosteroids or NSAIDs) in order to ameliorate the signs and symptoms of this medical condition. Immuno-suppressants tame the immune system and usually attack and eliminate the cells which are associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis. These drugs if used on long term may have serious side effects (such as a big susceptibility to infection). TNF – alpha inhibitors are cytokines (also known as cell proteins) which act as the inflammatory agents in this disease.

In the cases in which the medications are not helpful in preventing and slowing down the joint damage the doctors or personal health care provider usually will recommend the surgery in order to repair the damage of the joints. The surgery procedures in the patients who are suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis may include one or more of the followings: a total joint replacement (also known as arthroplasty, during which the doctor will remove the damaged parts of the joint and replace them with prosthesis made out of plastic), tendon repair and the removal of the joint lining (also known as synovectomy).