Rheumatoid arthritis treatment & Causes

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment & Causes | 24 Mantra Organic

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Health and Nutrition

13.01.2020

rheumatoid arthritis treatment:

before we look into rheumatoid arthritis treatment, let’s understand the condition-

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disorder which is a long term condition. In autoimmune disorders the immune system attacks the healthy cells in the body because it recognizes them as a foreign object by mistake. It causes inflammation in the affected parts of the body which results in painful swelling and stiffness hence needs rheumatoid arthritis treatment(1, 2).

Comparatively more women are affected by RA and need rheumatoid arthritis treatment than men. RA is a type of arthritis which affects hands, feet and wrists more. There is pain, swelling and loss of function in the joints where RA affects. It usually starts in middle age and is more common in older people when rheumatoid arthritis treatment becomes a little difficult.

The disease sometimes troubles only for a short period of time, or symptoms may come and go, or when it is severe it may cause distress that lasts a life time (2, 3).

RA mainly affects joints, generally several joints at a time demanding special rheumatoid arthritis treatment. The most common joints that get affected are hands, wrists and knees. In the joint affected with RA the lining of the joint is inflamed which results in damage to the joint can only be cured by rheumatoid arthritis treatment. This may cause chronic pain, unsteadiness and deformity of the joint (1).

RA is different from osteoarthritis because osteoarthritis is a result of wear and tear and occurs as a person ages. Whereas RA is an autoimmune disease and though it is common in older people it can occur in young people too.

RA can affect other parts of the body other than just joints, it can affect eyes, mouth and lungs too and hence it is important to start rheumatoid arthritis treatment early(3).

Symptoms:

RA symptoms may come and go irrespective of rheumatoid arthritis treatment. When the symptoms appear, it is called flare-up of RA and when the symptoms get better it is known as remission (1, 2).

There is a pain in more than one joint
Stiffness is observed in more than one joint
There is tenderness and swelling in joints
The symptoms are observed on both sides of the body, that is, in both hands, both knees
Poor appetite
Weight loss
Fever
Sweating
Feeling tired all the time

Causes:

The exact cause of RA is not known. There may be contributing factors such as genes, environment and hormones (3).

Since it is an autoimmune disorder the reason why the immune system attacks the healthy tissue is not known making the rheumatoid arthritis treatment difficult (1). But there are several risk factors for developing RA.

RA is more common in older adults, persons in their 60’s.
RA occurrence is 2 to 3 times more in women compared to men.
Genetic factors, people with certain genes have a higher risk of developing RA.
Smoking is a risk factor and smoking can make RA worse.
It was observed that women who have never given birth are at a higher risk of developing RA.
A kind of exposure early in life may increase the risk of RA, such as children whose mothers smoked have double the risk of developing RA when they became adults.
Obesity is another risk factor for developing RA. The more overweight a person the higher is the risk of getting RA.

Be aware of the risk factors and if they can be modified by rheumatoid arthritis treatment and simple actions, do it. For example, if you smoke, stop smoking. It is learnt the women who breastfeed their babies have a lower risk of developing RA (1).

Diagnosis:

Diagnosis and rheumatoid arthritis treatment is done based on the doctor’s physical examination, x-rays and lab tests. It is better than the diagnosis is done as early as possible so that more harm with advancement such as damage to the joints can be stopped with treatment (1).

Doctors who are specialists in taking care of RA patients are called rheumatologists and they are the right persons to do the correct diagnosis because the symptoms of RA look like any other joint inflammatory disorder.