Rheumatoid Arthritis: Recent Successes in Its Medical Practice

We Examine the Medical Management, the Surgical Choices Available, and Several Novel Ideas in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

A bone joint is a meeting point of two or more bones. And our human body has several of them all over, with the small joints in the hand and foot and the larger joints located at the hip and knee. Just like other parts, they also get diseased sometimes. To date about 250 diseases have been recorded - the most dreaded among them being of course Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptoms and Causes

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto-immune disease. It can either be inherited from the parents or sparked off by virus or bacteria. Women risk a higher chance of contracting this disease than do men.

Distinctive symptoms include: morning stiffness, arthritis of hand joints, lumps in the elbow skin (rheumatoid nodules), antibodies found in the blood (rheumatoid factor), X-ray changes.

Once Rheumatoid Arthritis is localized, it is characterized by severe tenderness in the joints accompanied with swelling and pain. The disease begins with the finger joints and rapidly spreads to the wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, ankles, foot joints and the neck. At least 10% of those affected complain of symptoms like weight loss, tiredness, and even fever.

Diagnosis

All suspected rheumatoid arthritis patients will be observed in detail by :

...Blood tests

...Test for Rheumatoid factor

... X-ray changes

... Scan - CT/MRI

...Fluid analysis of the joints

Medical Prognosis

Before starting the treatment the doctors will evaluate the present phase of the illness. Those with mild symptoms will be treated as outpatients. More grievous patients will be admitted.

The first task is to give pain relief. The patient will be advised complete bed rest and treated to hold back the rapid advancement of the disease. At times other organs will also be examined for damage.

Pain relief medication like Brufen, Voveron, and Indomethacin will be administered. Drugs which arrest the progression of the disease like Methotrexate, Hydroxy chloroquine, Sulphasalazine may also be given. Steroids may be prescribed in extreme cases but these are strictly for short-term use.