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Rheumatoid Arthritis - Symptoms and Relief

by Wayne Wargo (PenWay.org)

Rheumatoid arthritis is a joint disease caused by the immune system attacking healthy tissue, causing inflammation. This is different than the aging-related wear and tear that leads to osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, multi-system, and inflammatory autoimmune disorder that will bring on an attack to the joints. It is a very crippling and painful condition that can lead to loss of mobility and joint devastation. This is the most debilitating type of arthritis because it can cause deformity and disability.

Rheumatoid arthritis is systemic and will also affect different tissues throughout the body, skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs and muscles. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect persons as young as twenty and can begin at any time. A family history is important to the asses the risk. Environmental factors also seem to play some role in causing rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is three times more common in women than in men and up to four times more common in smokers than non-smokers. About 1% of the world's population is afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are different from other types of arthritis because of the inflammation and soft tissue swelling of many joints at the same time. This is known as polyarthritis. The joints are usually affected asymmetrically and then will go on to the symmetrical part as the disease goes on. It is not like the other forms of arthritis like osteoarthrits because the pain will move with the use of the joints that are affected.

As the disease progresses, the inflammatory activity will lead to the erosion and destruction of the joints that will impair their range of movement and lead to some deformity. The fingers and the bones will deviate to the outside and towards the small finger and take on unnatural shapes. Having deformities in patients that are dealing with rheumatoid arthritis will include the Boutonniere deformity, the Swan Neck deformity, and the "Z-thumb" deformity.

Because rheumatoid arthritis is a multi-system disease, other diseases and conditions may result. Many persons that have rheumatoid arthritis will also have anemia, which is a medical condition in which the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen to the tissues is reduced, either because of too few red blood cells, or because of too little hemoglobin, resulting in pallor and fatigue. Abnormal antibodies can be found in the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

There is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but many different types of treatment can alleviate symptoms and/or modify the disease process. Anti-inflammatory agents and analgesics can help to alleviate pain and stiffness but do not stop any damage or slow down the disease in any way. Treatment requires a combination of medications, rest, joint-strengthening exercises, joint protection, and patient (and family) education. With proper treatment, a strategy for joint protection and changes in lifestyle, you can live a long, productive life with rheumatoid arthritis.

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