Friday, November 21, 2014

Details About Rheumatoid Arthritis

By Armand Zeiders


People who commonly are inflicted with rheumatoid arthritis or RA are often the elderly this disease can be highly debilitating. This autoimmune disease causes feeling of swelling and pains around the joints. Symptoms and diagnosis typically occurs most frequently during middle age but even children and teens and young adults can acquire this. It is actually becoming more common in fact to see RA diagnosis in young adults

Contrary to popular belief, RA usually strikes the joints but bones are not the only body parts that can be affected. Lungs, kidneys, skin and other organs can also be targeted. The actual cause of RA is still unknown, even with the modern advancements of our medical technology. A person having a family member that has a history with RA will more likely have the risk of having the same disease. There is also a huge possibility for those who smoke to have RA.

Stiffness and limited movement, as well as including swelling in your joints are symptoms of RA. Your skin may also have nodules. To look at the level of inflammation as well as to identify certain antibodies linked with the disease, blood tests are typically prescribed. To look for bone loss around the person's joints, Doctors also take X-rays. It is advised to seek medical help as soon as possible if symptoms arise as these methods are required to determine the root of the problem.

At this time cure is still not found for RA and this disease is chronic and progressive. To help patients manage symptoms and slow progression of the disease, there are a variety of treatments that can be done. Regular exercise seems to improve strength and reduce fatigue and doctors typically recommend patients to do so. This can be a huge factor in preventing such diseases from progressing as quickly.

There are two types of basic RA treatments that are available. The first one includes medicines that do not cure, but only relieve the symptoms or reduce the actual inflammation. Sometimes NSAIDs are used and this stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and it includes commonly used drugs such as ibuprofen. Steroidal drugs also are used to treat RA. Both steroids and NSAIDs can help relieve the pain and stiffness. However, it should be noted that they don't manage the disease; they simply relieve some of the main symptoms.

The second type of treatment seeks to put the disease into remission by attacking the disease at a cellular level. This is through the help of DMARDs or Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. They can help in treat arthritis and slows down progressive joint destruction at the same time. The most commonly known DMARDs are methotrexate and sulfasalazube. These medications are also used to treat other conditions such as cancer or inflammatory bowel disease and provide other benefits like reducing the risk of rejection of a transplanted organ. Adalimumab is a drug that can be used for both children over the age of four and adults in which helps reduce the symptoms of RA. Adalimumab is one of several drugs that have been created using custom monoclonal antibodies.




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