What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease in which there is pain and inflammation as well as swelling of the joints. The severity of RA can vary from mild to severe and persistent inflammation can damage the affected joints over a long period of time. 80% of RA sufferers develop this condition between the ages of 35 and 50 however it is not limited to any specific age. Women as young as 20 year old have been discovered to have developed this debilitating disease.
While it does occur in men as well, women make up two thirds of the people who are suffering from this condition. There is not one single test that a doctor can perform to determine that you have rheumatoid arthritis. It is a combination of examining your medical and family history, physical examination, and blood tests that help aide a doctor in making an accurate diagnosis.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain and stiffness surrounding particular joints. The stiffness will usually be worse in the morning or after a period of rest and the inflammation tends to cause swelling around the affected joints. Arthritis in three or more joints typically is a sign that you may in fact have rheumatoid arthritis. In addition some other symptoms that are not related to joint pain are anemia and constant tiredness.
Which joints are affected?
The joints that are more commonly affected are small joints in the fingers, hands, wrists, feet, ankles, and knees. Depending on the person there may only be one or two joints affected or there could just as easily be several joints affected all at once. The more severe case would be multiple joints affected at a time and chronic relapsing of the condition which could be very painful for the person suffering. In some cases RA can progress rather quickly and incur severe joint and tendon damage which could lead to eventual disability.
The effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is considered by some medical boards as an autoimmune disease. Having rheumatoid arthritis can put you at risk for developing other conditions like anemia, osteoporosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendon rupture, cervical myelopathy, and several cardiovascular diseases which can lead to heart attack and stroke. It can have a serious impact on a person’s lifestyle because of the problems it can cause with mobility.
Treatment options
Once your doctor has evaluated and diagnosed a person with rheumatoid arthritis they will then refer you to a joint specialist (rheumatologist) to confirm the diagnosis and discuss treatment. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritic so it is important that a person begin treatment as soon as possible because any joint damage that occurs is permanent. The objective of seeking out treatments is to not only minimize the pain and stiffness that occurs around the joint areas but also to decrease the risk of developing other conditions associated with RA.
There are several prescribed drug options that one could choose in order to treat this disease. There are some that are anti-inflammatory drugs and reduce and ease the pain and stiffness around the joint area and also reduce the inflammation as well. Another option is also steroids in which case the steroid will be injected directly into the affected joint area. With any of the treatment options that are given there is always the risk of side effects such as the increasing thinning of the bones, weight gain, abdominal pains, vomiting bloods, and passing blood stools. These are effects that have a small chance of occurring but are not a guarantee.
Overview
Rheumatoid arthritis can range from being a mild case to something that is drastically severe. A person can not predict what the prognosis of this disease will be but it is imperative that a diagnosis is made immediately after suspecting that you may have this condition. The more urgently you see a doctor the sooner you will be able to seek out treatment and find what words the best for you.
References
Healthwise via Health.com “What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?” (accessed on March 8, 2011)
Consumer Reports via Health.org “ Rheumatoid arthritis ” (accessed on March 7, 2011)
Goodman, Brenda “Rheumatoid Arthritis Rate Rising in Women” (accessed on March 8, 2011)
Matsumoto, Alan K., M.D. “Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Presentation” (accessed on March 9, 2011)
Jimmetta Carpenter - My name is Jimmetta Carpenter and I am a writer. I was born and raised in the Washington DC metropolitan area and have had a very big ...
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