Rheumatoid Arthritis Explained & Options For Treatment

by Garth Hopewell

Rheumatoid arthritis is a multi system, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that will bring on an attack experienced by the joints. It is a significantly painful and crippling condition that can lead to loss of mobility, pain and joint devastation.

Rheumatoid arthritis is systemic and will also affect different tissues throughout the body, skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs and muscles. Rheumatoid arthritis will affect anyone between 20 and 40 and can start at any age.

Family history is important to the risk. It is three times more common in women than in men and up to 4 times more frequentcommon in smokers than non-smokers.

Symptoms will separate rheumatoid arthritis from other types of arthritis because of the inflammation and soft tissue swelling of many joints at the same time. This is called polyarthritis. The joints are usually affected asymmetrically and then will go on to the symmetrical part as the disease goes on. It is not like other forms of arthritis like) osteoarthrits because the pain will move with the use of the joints that are affected.

As the disease goes on, the inflammatory activity will lead to the erosion of the joints that will impair their range of movement and lead to some deformity. The fingers and the bones will deviate to the outside and towards the small finger and take on abnormal shapes. Deformities will include the Boutonnire deformity, the swan neck deformity, and the "Z-thumb" deformity.

Because rheumatoid arthritis is a multisystem disease, other disease and conditions may form as a result of it. Many of the people that have rheumatoid arthritis will also have anemia. Anemia is a problem of the red blood cells because there are not enough of them and or the hemoglobin and this will cause the lower ability of oxygen to be taken to the tissues.

It is a chronic disease and many will suffer from it and splenomegaly or the enlarging of the spleen. Felty's syndrome and Sjogren's syndrome which is an autoimmune disorder in which the cells attack and ruin the exocrine glands and produce salvia and tears. Dermological will affect nodules on exterior surfaces. Fibrosis may occur in the lungs at any time or as a result of different treatments.

There are several characteristics for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis. Morning joint stiffness is an example as is soft tissue swelling of more than three out of 14 joints or in the joint groups. Arthritis of hand joints like symmetric arthritis, subcutaneous nodules in specific places, a rheumatoid factor at a level above the 95th place and radiological changes that are suggestive of joint erosion are part of the criteria. At least four items on this list have to be met in order to establish a diagnosis.

Treatments rely on disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS), anti inflammatory agents and analgesics. DMARDS is known to start durable remissions and delay the disease process, while also preventing bone and joint damage as well. Some have found help from natural arthritis remedies.

Anti inflammatory agents and analgesics can help to improve pain and stiffness but do not stop any damage or slow down the disease in any way.