Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic condition that causes the lining of your joints or other body areas to become inflamed. As it progresses, it further damages the tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bone in your joints. It may also damage other areas of the body, including the lungs or blood vessels.
Causes of Rheumatoid arthritis
The cause for RA is unknown; however, the immune system plays a very important role in disease development. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs as a result of an abnormal immune system response, but the cause for this abnormal response has not been identified.
The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known. Many factors are involved in the abnormal activity of the immune system that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis. These factors include genetics (heredity), hormones (explaining why the disease is more common in women than men), and possibly infection by a bacterium or virus.
Symptoms and Complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis can either develop gradually or begin without warning as a sudden, painful episode. The first signs of it often feel like the flu, with general muscle and joint pain. Just after getting up in the morning, or following a period of inactivity, the joints will feel stiff. This can last for under an hour but, as the rheumatoid arthritis gets worse, the discomfort will last for longer periods.
Swelling and Pain
Swelling and pain in the joints must occur for at least 6 weeks before a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is considered. The inflamed joints are usually swollen and often feel warm and “boggy” when touched. The pain often occurs symmetrically but may be more severe on one side of the body, depending on which hand the person uses more often.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is traditionally considered a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. It is a disabling and painful inflammatory condition, which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscle
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Treatment requires a multidisciplinary health care team to reduce the patient’s pain and inflammation, preserve functional capacity, resolve pathologic processes and bring about improvement.
The most effective treatment program for arthritis consists of drug therapy, exercise and rest. Many different drugs are now used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), such as ibuprofen (Motrin and others), naproxen (Naprosyn and others) and, Diclofenac (Voltaren), have immediate analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects and are used in almost all patients for symptom relief.
