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Overview
Rheumatoid arthritis or RA is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body mainly at the joints.
Symptoms
Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling for more than 6 weeks, swelling affecting 3-4 different joints or more, morning stiffness lasting longer than 30 minutes, symmetrical symptoms affecting both sides of the body, swelling and pain affecting the wrists, hands and finger joints, rheumatoid nodules developing under the skin, weight loss, fever, and fatigue or tiredness.
Causes
In RA, our body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells. The specific causes of RA are unknown, but some risk factors can increase the risk of developing the disease. These risk factors are: Age: RA can begin at any age, but the likelihood increases with age. Sex: New cases of RA are typically two-to-three times higher in women than men. Genetics/inherited traits: People born with specific genes (HLA genes) are more likely to develop RA. Smoking Obesity
Diagnosis
Family medical history and current symptoms (pain, tenderness, stiffness, difficulty moving). Physical examination of the number and pattern of joints affected. Blood test includes Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR, or “sed rate”), C-reactive protein (CRP) level, RF factor, and Anti-CCP levels.
An X-ray, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging scan may be done to look for joint damage.
Prevention
There’s no known way to prevent rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Early treatment can make your symptoms less painful and save your joints from damage. Ideally, you should begin treatment within three to six months of your first symptoms.
Treatment
NSAIDs like ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen sodium, Corticosteroids, DMARDs include methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, cyclophosphamide and azathioprine. Biologics like Adalimumab, Infliximab, Rituximab, Etanercept JAK inhibitors like tofacitinib.
Everyday Life
People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) live with constant pain that limits their daily activities. Patients often experience constant fatigue and tiredness as their bodies use up energy to combat symptoms. People often have feelings of isolation or depression when dealing with a chronic illness. Rheumatologists now have many new treatments that target the inflammation that RA causes. If left untreated, the risk of mortality is increased. Untreated people with RA are twice as likely to die compared with unaffected people the same age.
