What Is Rheumatic Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, affects joints and other areas of the body. The cause is unknown, and there is no cure. It causes pain and damage to the joints. Remission can occur for long periods of time. However, flareups are common and range in severity. Treatments options vary from rest, exercise, medications and/or surgery. The earlier the disease is diagnosed and treatment begins, the better the long term outcome.
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Characteristics
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Symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis vary with each flareup. They can include muscle and joint aches, loss of energy, low grade fever, stiffness of the joints, loss of appetite, weight loss, joints that become red, tender, swollen and warm to the touch and red, puffy, hands.
Testing
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Physicians diagnose the disease by factors that are associated with rheumatoid arthritis. There is no blood or radiology test that positively identifies the disease. Instead, doctors use criteria from the American College of Rheumatology. The seven criteria are morning stiffness, arthritis of three or more joint areas, arthritis of hand joints, symmetric arthritis, rheumatoid nodules, serum rheumatoid factor, and radiographic changes. A person has to have four of the seven criteria, and the first four mentioned criteria has to have been ongoing for at least six weeks.
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Treatment
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Ways to treat rheumatoid arthritis depend on the severity of the disease. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is the first line of treatment. Over the counter NSAIDs are ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. Most patients will require a stronger prescription dose of a NSAID. A NSAID helps with pain and reduces inflammations. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are used to help slow down the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Biologics are a fairly new line of treatment that also help slow down the progression. Steroids are also commonly used for flareups to ease the pain, stiffness and inflammation. Surgery is an option when joints can no longer function. Physical and occupational therapy are a helpful and ongoing treatment for persons with rheumatoid arthritis.
Identification
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Rheumatoid arthritis can happen to anyone at any age. The juvenile form usually is identified by age 2. Women are at a 2.5 percent greater risk of having the disease. It commonly appears in the childbearing years. However, men tend to have some severe symptoms if they have the disease.
Geography
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According to Encyclopedia.com, rheumatoid arthritis affects people across the world. About 1 to 5 percent of the people in each country have rheumatoid arthritis.
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References
Resources
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