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•How Early Should Rheumatoid Arthritis Be Diagnosed And Why Is That Important
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common inflammatory, chronic, systemic, autoimmune disease for which there is no known cure. It affects approximately 2.1 million Americans.
RA is one of the leading causes of disability.
And, because it is a systemic disease it can cause significant damage to other organ systems besides the joints including the eyes, heart, lungs, and blood.
The prognosis for this condition has improved dramatically in recent years because of the advent of new drug therapies...
•Can Not Having Enough Vitamin D Make My Rheumatoid Arthritis Worse
In addition to the other health problems associated with vitamin D deficiency, there is another one. Not having enough vitamin D can make rheumatoid arthritis (and other inflammatory arthritis, possibly) symptoms worse. These findings were reported recently by researchers in the United Kingdom.
In the July issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism, Dr. Sanjeev Patel of St. Helier University Hospital, Carsholton, and colleagues note that there is evidence that vitamin D and its metabolite...
•Why Is The Thyroid Gland So Important In Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory form of arthritis, affecting more than 2 million Americans. It is a chronic, systemic, progressive autoimmune process for which there is no cure, currently. However, there are medications available that can put this disease into remission.
Prior to treating rheumatoid arthritis, it is important than any patient suspected of having the disease undergo a thorough and complete examination. This will include an in-depth history, careful...
•What Is Inflammatory Arthritis
There is an old joke. It goes like this: Neurologists diagnose the untreatable while rheumatologists treat the undiagnosable. Nothing could be truer than when it comes to what is termed inflammatory arthritis.
Most rheumatologists tend to divide arthritis into two major categories: inflammatory and non-inflammatory. The latter category is also termed degenerative arthritis.
The major distinction is that inflammatory types of arthritis have a significant amount of inflammatory cells that...
•How Quickly Should Rheumatoid Arthritis Be Treated
Much has been written about the need for early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. But how early? How aggressively?
New research has demonstrated that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment, if given within 15 days of initial presentation compared with four months after diagnosis can lead to remarkable improvement in outcome measures.
Most studies have demonstrated that a narrow window of opportunity exists between the onset of rheumatoid arthritis and when treatment can make a difference in...
•Is Rheumatoid Arthritis A Genetic Disease
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory type of arthritis. It affects more than 2 million Americans and is still a leading cause of both disability as well as days lost from work. RA is more common in women than men, and typical onset for the disease is between 25 and 50 years of age. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include swelling, loss of movement, stiffness, and pain in joints, most commonly, the fingers and wrists.
RA is to be feared and respected because it is a...
•I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis And Am Worried About Heart Attack Risk
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you should be worried about risk from cardiovascular events. That includes both heart attacks and strokes.
Women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have high rates of non fatal heart attacks. This occurs even without traditional risk factors being present. (Solomon, et al. Circulation 2003; 107: 1303-1307). The same is probably true for men with RA as well.
In addition multiple studies have demonstrated the increased risk of stroke occurring in patients with...
•Why Do Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Hate Prednisone
One drug that is often used in the early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is prednisone. Prednisone is a glucocorticoid. Glucocorticoids are drugs that have biologic activity similar to the hormones made in the adrenal glands.
These drugs are chemically synthesized and are used to treat a variety of inflammatory disorders.
Glucocorticoids, while very effective for treating inflammation, have many potential side effects including thinning of the skin, acne, weight gain, fluid retention,...
•Got Knee Pain From Arthritis Stop Smoking
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It is due to premature wearing away of cartilage, the gristle that cushions the ends of long bones in the joint.
Known risk factors for knee OA include a history of trauma, a family history of the disease, certain metabolic conditions, and obesity.
A recent study has confirmed the suspicion that smoking has another detrimental effect on health. It can worsen the prognosis of men who have osteoarthritis of the knee. The study,...
•What Are The Pitfalls Of Current Treatment For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects more than 2 million Americans.
It is the subject of intense interest since it is so common and the lessons learned from it may help in the management of other forms of inflammatory arthritis.
Currently, the initial step upon diagnosis of RA is to start the patient on disease- modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) like methotrexate. It is one of the most effective and best tolerated DMARDS. Other...
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