Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Papers

rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease that affected 1.3 million adults in the U.S. in 2005 (Helmick et al. 2008). Incidence of RA increased by 2.5% between 1995 and 2007 among women with a small decrease of incidence among men (Myasoedova et al. 2010). RA is a painful, debilitating disease that causes stiff and tender joints and affects the heart, skin, and other organs (Scott, Wolfe, and Huizinga 2010). RA is characterized by joint inflammation and swelling, production of antibodies including anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor, destruction of cartilage and bone (see figure 1.), and several comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, and malignancies (McInnes and Schett 2011; Clancy and Hasthorpe 2011). The highest prevalence rates occur in the elderly and in females. The disease normally manifests between the ages of 40 and 60, but can occur at any age (“Rheumatoid Arthritis” 2014). With an increasingly older population in the United States, prevalence of RA and RA-related mortality and morbidity may increase in the coming years.

People with RA have increased rates of mortality in comparison to the general population and are about twice as likely to die than others of the same age (Symmons and Gabriel 2011; Wolfe et al. 1994). The largest contributor to RA mortality is cardiovascular disease which can be attributed with causing 40% of deaths (Dhawan and Quyyumi 2008). Markers for premature mortality include rheumatoid factor and ACPA, and women under the age of 55 with RA have higher mortality rates (Symmons and Gabriel 2011).

Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors

Even though the cause of RA is still unknown, many risk factors have been identified includ...

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...However, NSAIDs are not recommended for long-term use in RA because of their negative side effects on the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system (Schaffer et al. 2006; Scott, Wolfe, and Huizinga 2010).

DMARDs are the preferred method of treatment for RA and are used to suppress immune response, decrease acute-phase markers, decrease joint swelling and pain, and limit the progression of joint damage(Scott, Wolfe, and Huizinga 2010). Methotrexate, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine, and leflunomide are the most common DMARDs used. These medications to not give immediate relief to people with RA, and they have many negative side effects. These include nausea, mouth sores, hair loss, hepatoxicity, body dycrasias, and interstitial lung disease (Scott, Wolfe, and Huizinga 2010). Several of these side effects can influence nutritional status of people with RA.