What You Should Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis

atoid Arthritis, also known as "RA" is a chronic,Mycoplasma, Erysipelothrix, Epstein-Barr virus,
inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes theparvovirus B19 and rubella have been suspected but
immune system to attack the joints. It is a disabling andnever supported in epidemiological studies.
painful inflammatory condition, which can lead toPharmacological treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis is
substantial loss of mobility due to pain and jointdivided into disease- modifying antirheumatic drugs,
destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it oftenanti-inflammatory agents and analgesics. Disease-
also affects many extra-articular tissues throughoutmodifying antirheumatic drugs have been found to
the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs,produce durable remissions and delay or halt disease
and muscles.progression. This is not true of anti-inflammatories and
The symptoms that distinguish Rheumatoid Arthritisanalgesics.
from other forms of arthritis are inflammation andCommon disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs used
soft-tissue swelling of many joints at the same time,to treat RA include Humira, Remicade and Enbrel.
also known as polyarthritis. The joints are usuallyTypical anti-inflammatory agents include
affected initially asymmetrically and then in aGlucocorticoids and non-steroidal anti- inflammatory
symmetrical fashion as the disease progresses. Thedrugs.
pain generally improves with use of the affected joints,Analgesics include Acetaminophen, Opiates and
and there is usually stiffness of all joints in the morningLidocaine.
that lasts over 1 hour. Thus, the pain of rheumatoidOther therapies include weight loss, occupational
arthritis is usually worse in the morning compared totherapy, physiotherapy, joint injections, and special tools
the classic pain of osteoarthritis where the painto improve hard movements.
worsens over the day as the joints are used.Severely affected joints may require joint replacement
As Rheumatoid Arthritis progresses the inflammatorysurgery, such as knee replacement. However, when
activity leads to erosion and destruction of the jointdrugs and surgery compound problems of rheumatoid
surface, which impairs their range of movement andarthritis rather than solve them, many people find relief
leads to deformity. The fingers are typically deviatedby making consistent, lifelong changes to diet and
towards the little finger and can assume unnaturallifestyle.
shapes. Classical deformities in Rheumatoid ArthritisMany natural healing practitioners attribute rheumatoid
are the Boutonniere deformity and swan neckarthritis to toxemia, which can be caused by several
deformity. The thumb may develop a "Z-Thumb"things, including but not limited to the many poisons that
deformity with fixed flexion and subluxation at theenter our systems through food, air, and skin.
metacarpophalangeal joint, leading to a "squared"The course of the disease varies greatly from patient
appearance in the hand.to patient. Some patients have mild short-term
Rheumatoid Arthritis occurs most frequently in thesymptoms, but in most the disease is progressive for
20-40 age group, although can start at any age. It islife.
strongly associated with the HLA marker DR4. HenceDisclaimer - The information presented here should not
family history is an important risk factor. The disease isbe interpreted as medical advice. Please talk to your
3 times more common in women than men and up todoctor for more information about Rheumatoid Arthritis.
4 times more common in smokers than non-smokers.Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as
The cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis is still unknown tono changes are made, and the entire resource box is
this day, but has long been suspected to be infectious.included.
It could be due to food allergies or external organisms.