Rheumatoid Arthritis - Causes/ Treatments - 2015

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long lasting disorder that mainly affects the joints of hands and feet. It affects lining of your joints, causing painful swelling, which may result in joint deformity as well as bone erosion.
It may occur at any age but usually begins after age 40. It is particularly seen in women. Not only joint problems, rheumatoid arthritis can also affect other body part - skin, eye, lungs, vessels etc.

Major Symptoms:

- Tender, warm, swollen, stiff joints
- Loss of joint function
- Fever and Fatigue
- Firm bumps of tissue under skin on your arms (rheumatoid nodules)

Signs and symptoms may vary. As this disease progress, it spreads to wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips, and shoulders also.

Causes:

Rheumatoid arthritis is seen when our immune system directly attacks the synovium (Synovium is the lining of the membranes surrounding our joints). Inflammation increase thickness of synovium resulting damage of cartilage and bone joint.
The ligaments holding joints together now become weak and stretches. Hence, joint loses shape.
Even professional doctors don't know what invokes this process, even though they consider it to be genetic component.
Vitamin D deficiency is the most common scenario in all victims though this sign remains unclear. There is no evidence that physical and emotional effects or stress could be a trigger for the disease.

Risk:

a. Age : Mostly seen between the age 40 and 60
b. Sex : Mostly seen in women
c. Family Background : If any of your family member has rheumatoid arthritis, you may have high chance to be the victim of this disease.
d. Other developing risks :
- Osteoporosis : a condition that debilitates your bones and makes them more inclined to fracture.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome : If it affects your wrists then it can compress your nerve.
- Heart problems : Hardens and blocks heart arteries
- Lung disease : Shortness of breath.

Treatments:

Some medications are there to prevent inflammation in joints but there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Medication like Non steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs), Steroids (NSAIDs), Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs(DMARDs), Biologic agents. Some surgery like total joint replacement, Tendon repair and Joint Fusion may help to cure it in initial phase.