Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Imagine being diagnosed with a condition that flares in and out of control repeatedly every year. Your doctor has told you that the cause could be genetic, or it could be directly related to previous toxins or illnesses you may have been exposed to, leaving you frustrated and looking for answers. None of your family members have ever had any trouble with their joints, but yours have been so painful and tender lately that even getting out of bed in the morning seems like a chore. Turns out, you have an autoimmune disease that affects about 1.3 million people in our country every year. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic rheumatic disease that directly attacks your body’s joints and their surrounding tissues, causing pain, inflammation, and damage. Although little is known about the definite cause of rheumatoid arthritis, most doctors believe that some sort of genetic predisposition plays a major role in the disease’s development. In this case, the reason rheumatoid arthritis is transferred from parents to children is because of the presence of a human leukocyte antigen or HLA gene, which has been shown to increase your risk of developing the disease. Another theory is that factors such as socioeconomic class as well as exposure to certain pollutants have a direct influence on whether or not someone will develop rheumatoid arthritis. According to Dr. Jaime Hart, a medical instructor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, “People with a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to live in houses where more air pollution leaks in from the outside or other factors such as general health status that may make them more susceptible to the effects of air pollution.” Several other risk factors such as age and... ... middle of paper ... ...hritis is different from osteoarthritis for a few main reasons. While osteoarthritis usually affects the older generations, Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age since it is an autoimmune disease and not necessarily caused by initial wear and tear on the joints. Osteoarthritis causes a degeneration of cartilage that usually ends up resulting in bone-on-bone contact, whereas the pain and swelling from rheumatoid arthritis comes from the buildup of fluid in the joints and the inflammation of your synovial membrane. Another major difference between these two conditions is the fact that rheumatoid arthritis is usually more widespread throughout the body than osteoarthritis. As stated by William C. Shiel Jr. MD, “In some people with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammation leads to the destruction of cartilage, bone, and ligaments, causing deformity in the joints.”
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).
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.
Atherosclerosis is a disease that occurs when arteries become blocked, inflamed, or hardened. As a result of this, blood cannot easily pass through the artery, and blood pressure increases. Many people suffer from atherosclerosis as they age, but young people can be affected by atherosclerosis also. There are many preventative steps that can be taken to decrease the risk of atherosclerosis; however, if atherosclerosis does develop in the arteries, medications can be given to help the individual receive adequate blood flow to important tissues. Atherosclerosis is a very serious condition that requires medical attention and a change in life style because it is a precursor to many dangerous and potentially fatal diseases.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue and organs. This inflammation can damage many different bodily systems. Lupus commonly affects the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, brain and heart. Many people with lupus have found relief for some of their chronic pain through practicing a few different styles of yoga.
When someone has lupus they have a different outlook on life. For patients with this disease, even the easiest task can be painful to the body or joints. Lupus is not contagious. “Lupus is a disease of the immune system. The immune system protects the body from inflection”(http://lupus.webmd.com). With lupus, the immune system attacks the tissue in many parts of the body. Lupus affects women more than men(www.womenshealth.gov). There are many different types of lupus, and each symptom affect different parts of the body. With treatment you can obtain and fulfill a healthy lifestyle.
The majority of clinical cases of laminitis occur at pasture where there is an accumulation of rapidly fermentable non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) such as fructans, simple sugars or starches (Geor, 2010). Pasture-associated laminitis has major economic and welfare implications in the equine sector. Increased risk factors include insulin resistance, increased insulin secretory response, hypertriglyceridaemia and obesity (Asplin, et al., 2007;Carter, et al., 2009 and de Laat, et al., 2010). Insulin resistance has been associated with a number of problems in the horse, most notably laminitis. Insulin resistance can be defined as a physiological condition in which cells have a diminished response to normal actions of the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced but the cells become resistant and are less capable in transporting glucose from the bloodstream to muscle and other tissues. In horses, insulin resistance is associated with a number of diseases such as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (Powell, et al., 2002; Hoffman, et al., 2003;Vick, et al., 2006 and Frank, et al., 2009), Equine Cushing Disease (McGowan, et al., 2004 and Walsh, et al., 2009) and Laminitis (Treiber, et al., 2006;Bailey, et al., 2007;McGowan, 2008 and Geor, 2008). Obesity and insulin resistance in ponies has become a common problem and there is a growing awareness on the role that diet and exercise has to play (Jeffcott, et al., 1986; Frank, et al., 2006 and Vick & Adams, 2007). Over-expressed adipocytokines, such as leptin, have been suggested to impair insulin signalling and cause the up regulation of inflammatory cytokines. This then further contributes to impaired insulin signalling and endothelial dysfunction (Radin, et al., 2009). The restriction of energy throu...
The contributing factor is lack of knowledge and family medical screening. Understanding the history of your genetic line specific to your race and ethnicity may be helpful in preventing heart disease later on in adulthood.... ... middle of paper ... ... Current studies of note have focused primarily on middle-class and/or suburban populations.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 27 million Americans (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). It is caused when the cartilage in the joints breaks down, causing the bones of the joint to rub against one another. This causes pain, stiffness, and loss of motion in the joint. Osteoarthritis is most prevalent in those 65 and older, but can affect those of any age. In addition, African Americans and Hispanics report a higher incidence of arthritis than Caucasians (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). Although the cause is unknown, it is believed that the increasing age of the population, prevalence of obesity and injuries add to the progression of the condition. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body; however, those of the hand, hip, and knee are often the most common. This condition may be asymptomatic, or may present symptoms including soreness, stiffness and pain. The symptoms are more common in the older population, those with limited activity levels, and those who are obese. Joint cartilage thins over time, causing an increased risk for symptoms in the elderly, and obesity puts extra pressure on the joints during activity. Osteoarthritis is commonly diagnosed with the use of a physical assessment along with results of radiology testing such as X-Ray and MRI.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is when the joints are chronically inflamed, which happens because it is an autoimmune disease which means that the immune system attacks the body tissues. Although Rheumatoid Arthritis mainly affects the joints, it can also affect other organs.
Arthritis is a general term for approximately 100 diseases that produce either INFLAMMATION of connective tissues, particularly in joints, or noninflammatory degeneration of these tissues. The word means "joint inflammation," but because other structures are also affected, the diseases are often called connective tissue diseases. The terms rheumatism and rheumatic diseases are also used. Besides conditions so named, the diseases include gout, lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, degenerative joint disease, and many others, among them the more recently identified LYME DISEASE.
...es of developing these diseases. While a family history provides information about the risk of specific health concerns, having a family history of certain medical conditions doesn’t mean that you will develop the same conditions. Disease is not imminent, by developing lifestyle changes your health can be controlled and risk lowered by changing behaviors that increase your chances.
Arthritis occurs when the body incorrectly identifies its own tissue as foreign matter and attacks it. Arthritis includes a set of more than eighty autoimmune diseases. Arthritis attacks connective tissues and joints. It causes stiffness, pain, inflammation, and swelling of the joints. Some kinds are crippling, but rarely leads to death. There are many different kinds of arthritis, the main ones being Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis; others include gout and ankylosing spodylitis.
Margaretten, M., Barton, J., Julian, L., Katz, P., Trupin, L., Tonner, C., . . . Yelin, E. (2011). Socioeconomic determinants of disability and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care & Research, 63, (2), 240-246. doi:10.1002/acr.2034.
Looking at the family health history, we notice that the presence of disease is at the top and absence of disease in the second and third generations (which I will be focusing on), this could be to several reasons ranging from person habits (lifestyle), environmental factors, income levels and even genetics.
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.