Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory form of arthritis that causes joint pain and damage. Rheumatoid arthritis attacks the lining of your joints (synovium) causing swelling that can result in aching and throbbing and eventually deformity. Sometimes rheumatoid arthritis symptoms make even the simplest activities — such as opening a jar or taking a walk — difficult to manage.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic type of arthritis. Early symptoms of RA include fatigue, joint pain, and stiffness. As it progresses, rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may feel like the flu, with achiness, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are unknown, although there may be a genetic component. Early and effective rheumatoid arthritis treatment can improve the prognosis and may help prevent joint and bone destruction associated with RA.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a form of arthritis that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in your joints. It can affect any joint but is common in the wrist and fingers. More women than men get rheumatoid arthritis. It often starts between ages 25 and 55. You might have the disease for only a short time, or symptoms might come and go. The severe form can last a lifetime.
RA is classified as an autoimmune disease, which develops because certain cells of the immune system malfunction and attack healthy joints. While the cause of RA remains unknown, exciting and rapidly advancing research is revealing the factors that are important in producing inflammation. The primary focus of the inflammation is in the synovium, which is the lining tissue of the joint. Inflammatory chemicals released by the immune cells cause swelling and damage to cartilage and bone.
On average, life expectancy is somewhat shorter for people with rheumatoid arthritis than for the general population. This does not mean that everyone with rheumatoid arthritis has a shortened life span. Rheumatoid arthritis itself is not a fatal disease. However, it can be associated with many complications and treatment-related side effects that can contribute to premature death.
The first stage is the swelling of the synovial lining, causing pain, warmth, stiffness, redness and swelling around the joint. Second is the rapid division and growth of cells, or pannus, which causes the synovium to thicken. In the third stage, the inflamed cells release enzymes that may digest bone and cartilage, often causing the involved joint to lose its shape and alignment, more pain, and loss of movement.
Our bodies normally produce inflammation to destroy things, such as bacteria, which cause illness. We do not know what sets off the inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, but the result is the same – unfortunately, in this case it is not bacteria or other harmful substances which are attacked but the tissues in the joints. The inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis causes damage to the cartilage and sometimes to the bone itself. It may also damage any ligaments within the joints.
Pharmacological treatment of RA can be divided into disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs anti-inflammatory agents and analgesics. DMARDs have been found to produce durable remissions and delay or halt disease progression. In particular they prevent bone and joint damage from occurring secondary to the uncontrolled inflammation. This is important as such damage is usually irreversible. Anti-inflammatories and analgesics improve pain and stiffness but do not prevent joint damage or slow the disease progression.
Anti-inflammatory medications: These include aspirin and no steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and others. Although NSAIDs work well, long-term use can cause stomach problems, such as ulcers and bleeding, and possible heart problems. NSAIDs now carry warning labels on their product that alerts users of an increased risk for cardiovascular events and gastrointestinal bleeding.
