All About Rheumatoid Arthritis
By: Mary Kearl
Scientists know what happens once you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA): it causes tissues lining your joints to become swollen, stiff, and painful (inflamed), but they still don't quite know what causes it or how to prevent it. The inflammation caused by the disease has the potential to destroy your joint tissues and make daily activities like walking and doing tasks with your hands increasingly difficult. There are measure you can take to avoid worst-case scenarios. Find out how to reduce your risk here.
Check Your Symptoms
"Early diagnosis and treatment of RA is critical if you want to continue living a productive lifestyle," says the Arthritis Foundation, adding "Early aggressive treatment ofRA can limit joint damage, which in turn limits loss of movement, decreased ability to work, higher medical costs and potential surgery." There is no single test -- instead your doctor will examine your joints for swelling or tenderness, and ask about your symptoms. These include pain, stiffness and swelling in your hands, wrists, elbows, feet, ankles, knees, or neck.
Are Genes to Blame?
While RA affects one percent of the population, about 70 percent are women, but men are often affected to a greater degree. Onset often begins somewhere between your 30s and50s, but children can have it too. HLA-DR4 is the genetic marker associated with RA, but not everyone with it has the disease, but people who have the marker could be likely to have a faulty immune system.
When Infection Strikes
Some medical experts believe RA is contracted through a virus, but there is no conclusive proof. It could be as simple as contacting a germ that has no effect on most people, but when it enters the body of someone disposed for RA an abnormal reaction causes the body to attack joint tissues. Similar to other autoimmune diseases, the affected person's immune system attacks its own tissues as though they were foreign substances.
Take Care of Your Joints
Joint pain and other RA symptoms such as fatigue and stiffness can make ordinary activities difficult, especially during RA flares. Consult a therapist to learn about the bestways to manage everyday tasks. They may suggest using splints, braces, slings, elastic bandages or shoe inserts to reduce the pressure on your joints and shield against future injury. Find out more about physical therapy for RA here.
Exercise in Moderation
You might think your symptoms would prevent you from exercising. In fact, moderate workouts like stretching, strengthening and conditioning can actually help reduce pain and improve functioning. Add conditioning routines through aerobic fitness like walking, biking, swimming or water exercise (the Arthritis Foundation has their own aquatic program). "If you feel fatigued, and if an activity causes you pain for more than two hours after you stop, then you need to slow down," advises rheumatologist DavidS. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, in his book 'The Duke University Medical Center Book of Arthritis.
Stick to a Preventative Diet
There is no diet or supplement known to improve RA symptoms for the long run; however, getting enough calories, protein, and calcium is a critical part of maintaining wellness. People with RA have a high risk of developing osteoporosis. Side effects from some treatments as well as a decrease in physical activity only up the risk. To combat this, take 1,000 mg to 1,500 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D daily. It also recommended that people with RA take bisphosphonates which increase bone formation.
Prevent Flare Ups
Being over-worked, over-stressed and overly tired all put you at risk for RA flare ups. Making sure to space enough breaks and rests throughout the day, and not over-exercising are good precautionary measures. The Arthritis Foundation recommends keeping a journal of your top stressors, so you can avoid them in the future. This can also be a good place to vent. Massages, acupuncture, counseling and behavior modification can also help you manage your RA.
Meds that Can Help
The main drugs used to control RA include
Operations to Consider
If medications and other treatments don't seem to be working ask your doctor about surgery. Joint replacement (arthroplasty), the most frequently performed surgery helps relieve pain and improve or maintain joint function, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Tendon reconstruction is a procedure most often used to improve hand functioning; this can be done along with synovectomy which removes inflamed joint tissue. Another common procedure is arthroscopy, which removes debris or inflamed tissue in ajoint. Meet with a doctor to find the best option for you.
