Rheumatoid Arthritis or (RA) is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joints and connective tissue. The result is inflammation that produces permanent damage in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that tends to be progressive and destructive as compared to Osteoarthritis or (OA), which is more of an age related disease caused by “wear and tear” of the joints. In contrast to (OA), rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation mostly of the joints, but is a general body disease.
The type of joint that is chronically affected is the synovial joint. The bones that are at a synovial joint are covered by articular cartilage; which reduces friction and absorbs shock. The space between the articulating bones is called the synovial cavity, which is surrounded by an articular capsule. The outer layer of the capsule is called the fibrous capsule and consists of dense irregular connective tissue. The inner layer of the capsule is lined with the synovial membrane, which is composed of areolar connective tissue with elastic fibers and may also contain adipose tissue. In a healthy joint the synovial membrane produces synovial fluid. The fluid not only reduces friction and lubricates the joint, but it also supplies nutrients and removes debris, wastes, and microbes.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects twice as many women as it does men. It can develop in child hood, but in most cases it develops between the ages of twenty-five and fifty. Rheumatoid arthritis itself may not be inherited, but what can be inherited are the genes that may make someone more likely to develop the disease including those genes that control the immune system.
Normally the immune system protects your body against foreign proteins like bacteria, fungi, or viruses and it does this by attacking them and producing antibodies. In Rheumatoid arthritis the immune system loses it’s ability to tell the difference between these antigens and the bodies normal cells. The body begins to attack the normal cells by using its plasma cells to produce antibodies called serum rheumatoid factors (RF). The chemical messengers called cytokines control the inflammatory process. One of the key cytokines is called Tumor Necrosis Factor or TNF; which is part of the normal inflammatory process. People with rheumatoid arthritis have been foun...
... middle of paper ...
...neumonitis, bone marrow suppression, and with long term use even malignancy.
Treatment also consists of rest and a nutritious diet. Some supplements such as fish or plant oils can be taken to partially relief some of
Cavezza 7 the symptoms because they can decrease the production of prostaglandins. Exercise and physiotherapy can restore muscle mass and help preserve the range of motion. This is recommended after the inflammation subsides. Another alternative if or when drugs fail is arthroscopic or surgical synovectomy, which temporarily relieves inflammation. Prosthetic replacement of joints is possible, but this greatly reduces the functionality.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects everyone differently. In most patients, joint symptoms develop gradually over several years. In some people, rheumatoid arthritis may progress rapidly. Other people may have rheumatoid arthritis for a limited period of time and then enter a period of remission. More than two million people in the United States alone have rheumatoid arthritis and with research and development of new drugs and gene therapy there may be a clearer picture of a patients future and quality of life.
Each bone in a synovial joint has articular cartilage at the articulating surface. The C-shaped medial and lateral menisci serve to deepen the articulation at the superior surface of the tibia, thus enhancing the bony stability of the joint.
Rheumatoid arthritis is not curable. Medications will be recommended to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, slow the progression of RA, and save joints and tissues from permanent damage (Rheumatoid Arthritis, 2017). The most common medications are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD), e.t.c. When having RA, it is important to exercise regularly, apply heat or cold to affected areas, relax, and eat healthy. Physical therapy is usually part of treatment for RA. The goal is to stimulate the bones, muscles, and joints to give them strength and flexibility (Physical Therapy for RA, n.d.). Foods that have lots of omega-3 (fish, chia seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts), high antioxidants like vitamin A, E, and C (berries, dark chocolate, spinach, kidney beans, pecans, and artichokes), and lots of fiber can help reduce inflammation (Foods that fight RA inflammation,
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, it affects millions of people around the world. It is also known as Degenerative Joint Disease or Degenerative Arthritis or Wear & Tear Arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage in the joints wear down over time. While osteoarthritis can affect any joint in your body, it more often is seen in the knees, hips, hands, neck, and lower back it worsens as you grow older and has no known cure.
This type of joint mainly includes long bones as it’s necessary for movement in the skeletal
At this time, no prescriptive drug therapies are indicated; however, over-the-counter medications (OTC) may be used to relieve symptoms, which include a decongestant either oral or topical in
Taking care of your body is highly important, even if you know you’re sick or not. Why live in pain and in hurt when you can be happy? Although you can’t control what gets passed down your family, you can control other factors. Make sure you do get to wear splints to reduce the chances of the osteoarthritis getting worse.
Arthritis affects people of all age groups. More than 100 types of arthritis are known. Among these osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis having the highest incidence. One of the major causes of chronic debilitation in industrialized nations is Osteoarthritis which results from damage to the joints, which may be due to trauma, infection, or age-related wear. Rheumatoid arthritis is encountered less frequently than osteoarthritis and is estimated to affect around one per cent of the world’s population. Amongst patients of Rheumatoid arthritis, women are three times more likely to be affected by this condition than men. This condition is caused by an inflammatory process where the body starts attacking itself. Rheumatoid arthritis also affects several joints, with inflammation sometimes seen in and around the lungs, the heart, the eyes and the skin. The most commonly reported complaint by arthritis patients is pain. The pain might be from the joint itself and be a result of inflammation, damage from the disease, or through daily wear and tear. Muscle pain is also common and is caused by having to force movements against stiff and painful joints. Although range of movement in the affected joint may be limited and uncomfortable, physical exercise has been shown to benefit those with arthritis. Physical therapy has been shown to significantly improve function, decrease pain in the long term and delay the need for surgery in advanced cases. The majority of arthritis cases occur among theelderly, however the disease can occur in children as well. Over 70% of the population that get affected by arthritis in North America are over the age of 65 (4). The disease occurs more commonly in females than males in all races, age groups, and ethn...
Cartilage serves as protection against bone on bone contact to prevent wear in bones an example of this is the lateral and medial meniscal cartilage (articular cartilage). But the lateral and medial meniscal cartilage can be quite easily torn although a common injury in fully grown adults torn cartilage cannot be healed as cartilage receives little blood flow making it hard for it to heal compared to children with
As mentioned earlier, immune system attack on the joints is one of the major psoriatic arthritis causes. It causes overproduction of the skin cells resulting to reddening and inflammation at both the joints and the skin. There is no clear reason why the immune system would turn against the joints. However, research on the disease shows that it is genetic since it has been found to affect those people who have a family history of the condition. Some other causes may be environmental factors such as viral or bacterial infection and trauma.
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are two symptoms of a single disease caused by an overactive immune system attacking the skin and joints of the affected individual. The “t-cells” or white blood cells that fight infection within your body are also the cause of psoriasis. Psoriasis is characterized by red patches of inflamed skin with a build-up of silvery-white colored dead skin or scale. Psoriatic arthritis is similar to rheumatoid arthritis as it is an inflammation of the joints. This inflammation can cause pain, stiffness, and even disfigurement. The same white blood cells attacking the skin are also attacking the cartilage in the joints. However, what is causing the white blood cells to attack the skin and joints is still unclear.
The disease can either be active or in remission depending on whether the tissues are inflamed or not. There are no systems when Rheumatoid Arthritis is in remission. When it becomes active again, it is called a flare and all the symptoms come back. The main symptoms are: fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, aches in the muscles and joints, and stiffness. The stiffness usually occurs in the morning or after resting for a long time. The joints can also go red, swell and be painful because the joint lining is inflamed which causes extra synovial fluid to be produced and the joint lining tissue to get thicker. The early symptoms usually are in small joints of the hands and wrists, and they are pain and stiffness...
A result is a high frequency of secondary infections. More specific therapy, for example, allopurinol and colchicine in gout, is dependent on knowledge of the precise biochemical mechanisms of disease pathogenesis. Researchers are also studying the use of drugs that act on the nervous system. Despite the wear-and-tear origin of degenerative joint disease, it, too, may respond well to so-called anti-inflammatory drugs. Perhaps they are primarily acting as analgesics (pain-killers), or they may act by decreasing the secondary inflammation that follows joint trauma. Franklin Mullinax
Several medications are available that may, in some individuals, improve symptoms or temporarily slow the disease progress, including: Cognex, Aricept, Exelon, and Reminyl. Other drugs are now being tested and could be marketed in the near future.
Arthritis affects the hips, knees, spine, hands, lower back, neck, and knuckles. Osteoarthritis spreads throughout the body damaging organs and connective tissue. Osteoarthritis cannot be cured. Physicians seek only to relieve the pain and prevent the patient from becoming disabled. A surgeon may...
One of the most common mysteries in the world is the development of autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is when the immune system, which usually keeps your body healthy thinks that your healthy cells are antigens and attacks them. This is irony right? It is against properties of evolution for an immune system to attack itself causing sickness and possibly death if untreated. There are about 80 different types of autoimmune diseases, which usually have periods of little to no symptoms and worsening symptoms. What particularly creates confusion in the world is the autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, which affects almost about five million people worldwide.