Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune chronic (ongoing) disease. It occurs in the joints on both sides of your body, which makes it different from other types of arthritis. You may have symptoms of pain and inflammation in your Fingers, Hands, Wrists, Knees, Ankles, Feet, and Toes.

Uncontrolled inflammation damages cartilage, which normally acts as a “shock absorber” in your joints. In time, this can deform your joints.

In addition to affecting your joints, rheumatoid arthritis sometimes affects other parts of your body, including your Skin, Eyes, Mouth, Lungs, and Heart.

RISK FACTORS

• Age: The age between 30 and 60
• People born with variations in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Family history
• Sex: Females are more prone to get RA.

SYMPTOMS

• Pain, swelling, stiffness and tenderness in more than one joint.
• Stiffness, especially in the morning or after sitting for long periods.
• Pain and stiffness in the same joints on both sides of your body.
• Fatigue (extreme tiredness).
• Weakness
• Fever

A flare is a time when you have significant symptoms after feeling better for a while. Then, stress, changes in weather, certain foods, or infections trigger a period of increased disease activity.

DIAGNOSIS

• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)confirms inflammation in your joints.
• C-reactive protein (CRP).
• About 80% of people with RA test positive for rheumatoid factor (RF).
• About 60% to 70% of people living with rheumatoid arthritis have antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP) (proteins).
• X-rays.
• Ultrasounds.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA

• Inflammatory arthritis in two or more large joints (shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and ankles).
• Inflammatory arthritis in smaller joints.
• Positive biomarker tests like rheumatoid factor (RF) or CCP antibodies.
• Elevated levels of CRP
• Your symptoms have lasted more than six weeks.

MANAGEMENT

The most important goal of treating rheumatoid arthritis is to reduce joint pain and swelling. Doing so should help maintain or improve joint function. The long-term goal of treatment is to slow or stop joint damage. Controlling joint inflammation reduces your pain and improves your quality of life. Rest for inflamed joints is necessary, Maintaining a good range of motion in your joints and good fitness overall are important in coping with RA. Regular exercise can help prevent and reverse these effects. Range-of-motion exercises to preserve and restore joint motion.