The hypothesis is accepted, and the diagnosis is made: this woman has rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that typically affects women who are in their 30’s, and it causes widespread symmetrical joint damage. Rheumatoid arthritis is found more often in women due to their XX chromosome makeup, which does protect women from infectious diseases, it, however, makes them prone to autoimmune diseases due to factors that are currently a hot topic in immunology. Recent studies have shown that men with Klinefelter’s who carry two X’s and a Y have the more autoimmune disease than ordinary men who just have one X and one Y. Another factor that may affect RA is female sex hormones such as estrogen, and progesterone, since men with Klinefelter’s produces more estrogen than ordinary men. The disease typically causes extensive joint damage. However, it can also create heart problems and can severely affect the skin as well. Rheumatoid arthritis begins with extensive inflammation and swelling of the synovial membrane caused by the immune system not recognizing self and attacking its body tissues. …show more content…
My treatment plan is to place her on Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine along with prescription strength NSAIDS, such as naproxen, or Celebrex. The sulfasalazine will protect her small intestine from damage from the NSAIDS and has been shown to slow radiological damage to the bones. Also, I will subscribe a PPI, a proton pump inhibitor to protect her upper GI system, stomach. In addition to that, I will instruct her to take extra Vitamin B12 and calcium and vitamin D. If the DMARDS do not work after three months or so then I will place her on a biologic agent such as Etanercept which will be a weekly self-shot that will be easy for the patient to administer to
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory and an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissue (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017). This disease affects the entire body, which is called a systemic (means entire body) disease. Arthritis is derived from the word part arthr-, which means “joint,” and -itis, which means “inflammation,” so altogether it means “inflammation of the joints.” It creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (synovium) to thicken. About 1.5 million people in the U.S. are affected. It affects all races, but it affects three times as many women than men (What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, n.d.). Overtime, rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling that can potentially result in bone erosion or joint deformity, which leads up to physical disabilities. RA can affect more than just your joints, but can spread to body systems, skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood vessels, e.t.c (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017).
Fibromyalgia (FM) affects approximately 2-6 percent of the population. FM can affect anyone of any age, but it is more common in women over 50 years old. It’s a very complex disease and the cause is unknown. People who suffer from FM report symptoms which include pain, fatigue, and trouble sleeping and morning stiffness. These symptoms can interfere with a person’s daily life and can ultimately lead to physical disability which could possibly result in depression. The management of FM does not cure the disease and some may not be suitable for all patients so many patients decide to self-manage.
or any issues with her urine production. Mrs. L stated that she does not urinate excessively and that she has never noticed an extreme change in color of her urine. A urinary tract infection or yeast infection is not something that Mrs. L said she has experienced in the past. Mrs. L stated that she is not currently sexually active because of her age and it is more difficult than it used to be. She has never had any sexually transmitted infections or other issues with her genital health. Mrs. L stated that she does have arthritis in her feet and hips. She has never had a muscle tear or tore a ligament or tendon. Mrs. L also said that she has never had any issues with her ACL. Her back surgeries are the only things Mrs. L stated that have been
For the human body to move swiftly with deliberate and smooth actions, it makes use of synovial fluid within joints. However, rheumatoid arthritis hinders the movement of the body and cause several other debilitating factors such as pain and (near) permanent disability. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is primarily a persistent autoimmune disease which affects synovial joints of the human body. According to Emery (2006), he finds that this is a “long term . . . chronic disease that spreads from joint to joint” (p. 152). Furthermore, it is a disease which primarily assaults the body's immune system by inflaming the synovial joints. The joint tissue is damaged by inflammation of the joint lining causing pain to the patient. Aletaha et
On admission, a complete physical assessment was performed along with a blood and metabolic panel. The assessment revealed many positive and negative findings. J.P. was positive for dyspnea and a productive cough. She also was positive for dysuria and hematuria, but negative for flank pain. After close examination of her integumentary and musculoskeletal system, the examiner discovered a shiny firm shin on the right lower extremity with +2 edema complemented by severe pain. A set of baseline vitals were also performed revealing a blood pressure of 124/80, pulse of 87 beats per minute, oxygen saturation of 99%, temperature of 97.3 degrees Fahrenheit, and respiration of 12 breaths per minute. The blood and metabolic panel exposed several abnormal labs. A red blood cell count of 3.99, white blood cell count of 22.5, hemoglobin of 10.9, hematocrit of 33.7%, sodium level of 13, potassium level of 3.1, carbon dioxide level of 10, creatinine level of 3.24, glucose level of 200, and a BUN level of 33 were the abnormal labs.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects the joints and it is the most common type of arthritis. Evidence shows that the majority of the people affected are the over 60 (S. R 2006) This disease damages the surfaces of the joints stopping it from moving as smoothly as it should. The disease can also be referred to as osteoarthrosis or degenerative joint tissues. Osteoarthritis is more common in women than men but the prevalence
Currently it is commonly accepted among industries that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect employees regardless of the occupation as well as cost that these injuries impose on the employer and the populace as a whole. Nevertheless, in the manufacturing business it is mostly common for individuals to perform manual materials handling (MMH) task that are believed to factor in on some of the most pricy job-related injuries to date, such as those attributed to the back. And although through the advancement of technology with the aid of robotics and the use of other equipment the need for MMH has been decreased, but certain jobs still require the need for humans to perform those kinds of tasks and this is more apparent in smaller manufacturing businesses or warehouses that cannot afford these advancements. With MSDs contributing to a large percentage of MMH injuries, with over 387,000 or 33 percent of all work related injury cases in 2011, far exceeding all other work related injuries (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, 2011). Maybe this is due to the well-known fact that MSDs are connected with jobs and tasks comprising of repetitive motions and exertion, together with such identifiable risk factors as awkward postures, use of force, and lack of recuperation before restarting the same task. Nonetheless, the best means of prevention is through the improvement of working conditions and the implementation of an ergonomics program. However, one of the principal challenges that face managers and supervisors today is the systematic approach to conduct an ergonomics evaluation and to use ergonomics consistently through a proactive approach with the aim at reducing MSDs either by engineering or administrative imp...
Hi I’m Mallorie, I’m 31 years old and this is My Arthritis Story. In the winter of 1995 at the age of 10 I came down with one of the many cases of strep throat. I started getting fevers and complaining of joint pain on a regular basis.
This topic came up recently to me because my grandmother was diagnosed with it. She could barely walk and could not do many little things like get out of bed, and tie her shoes. Since my mom is a physical therapist she knew what to do, but I didn’t really know what it was or how to help her. Most of the things I knew about “arthritis” was that it affects your bones, but this was much more than that. I also didn’t realize that it was Rheumatoid Arthritis not just normal arthritis,they are different because Rheumatoid Arthritis has to do with your joints unlike regular arthritis that has to do with the wear and tear of your bones. I wish I had known if I could prevent it or even if it is genetic and if I could develop it too. I also wanted to know what the symptoms were because all I knew about it was that she was in pain. I was scared she wasn’t going to live as long because she got this, so that is why I decided to write this paper.
A small group that is highly stigmatized, despite its size, is people with chronic or “invisible” illness. Fibromyalgia is an example of one of the types of diseases that plague people in this category. As someone with Fibromyalgia, I have heard many hurtful stereotypes aimed at people, like me, who suffer with an illness that others can’t outwardly see. While I live every day with a diagnosed disease, for many people, that isn’t evidence enough that what I have is very real. I’ve been told I’m lazy, a drug addict, a liar, a hypochondriac, and even that I’m flat out crazy. I believe these stereotypes are rooted in the fact that people don’t really understand what they can’t see or feel for themselves. It seems implausible that someone can
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto immune condition where immune system affects the lining of the joints which affects all the body joints, usually smaller joints, such as hands and feet. But sometimes larger joints can also be affected such as hip and Knee. Rheumatoid Arthritis affects the joints by causing inflammation and damage. (Arthritis Australia, 2017). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause restrictions in self-care activities such as showering, dressing, eating, walking, toileting, grooming and bladder or bowel control.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that has direct involvement with the immune system. This disease is considered to be degenerative and currently the only thing that can be done is manage the painful symptoms and suppress the self targeting actions by using immune suppressing drugs. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is mostly unknown but there is a high amount of evidence that there are genetic predispositions for the disease. This being said however there are also environmental factors to asses these include, bacteria, viruses, fungi and other environmental factors. Doctors primarily use a physical examination to first suspect R.A. then send for blood work to confirm. There are many aspects to this disease and many questions left unanswered, the treatments available now are only temporarily and can in some cases cause more problems than benefits. Lab experiments and clinical trials are currently showing some great results and could within our lifetimes cure many autoimmune diseases including R.A..
Rheumatoid arthritis affects around 400,000 individuals within the UK, it is the most relentless chronic form of arthritis, and for adults it is the second most common form in patients (1). “RA is more prevalent among women than men, and usually develops in the fourth to fifth decades of life” (A). Rheumatoid arthritis is severe as it is a form of autoimmune disease, this is where the body’s immune system attacks and damages working tissue, due to the failure to recognise the difference between foreign cell and normal cells. For example it damages the synovial membrane surrounding the knee, and bone erosion begins. This damage to the working tissue triggers an inflammatory response causing fluid to build around the knee (2). However it can happen in any joint, this is why it’s such a large problem as you simply can’t inhibit the effects of the immune system, as it would leave you extremely vulnerable to more life threatening diseases. If effective treatment isn’t applied it could be disabling to patients, the inflammation causes pain, stiffness, muscle ache, rheumatoid nodules (lumps of tissue) and tiredness (3).
On 2/5/18 I met Ms. McClellan at the Stonegate facility. She resides in an assistive living facility. She continues to participate in occupational and physical therapy. She is working on upper body strength and also left leg strength. She wants to be prepared to use a walker when she is cleared to start weight bearing on the right leg. She is still wearing a full leg brace. She reports she can feel bones moving still. I will meet her at the next orthopedic appointment. I will address the use of a bone stimulator if there continues to not be bone healing.
study. Sarah is a 23 year old single parent who has suffered from arthritis since the