What is it
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that mainly affects the joints, but actually involves the entire organism.
It tends to affect mainly women, with a peak incidence between 35 and 50 years and a probability of getting sick that, in genetically predisposed individuals, increases with advancing age.
Causes
The exact causes and biological mechanisms leading to the development of the disease are unknown. It is known, however, that rheumatoid arthritis arises when a foreign agent present in the environment enters the body and triggers an inflammatory autoimmune reaction, especially in the joints.
To date, the nature of the generic “external agent” remains to be defined and it is not said that it is a single factor: according to the most accredited hypothesis it would be a different and specific substance for each individual.
Some believe that viruses such as Epstein-Barr or cytomegalovirus may be called into question.
Common symptoms
At first, typical signs of rheumatoid arthritis include prolonged stiffness, inflammation, swelling and joint pain, which are mainly localized at the level of the hands and wrists, followed by feet, knees and elbows.
The discomforts are more intense upon waking, persist for at least 30-60 minutes and tend to subside during the day.
Later, the disease tends to involve all the joints and cause erosion of the bone extremities and joint deformations, making the affected parts unusable.
Complications
In addition to disability resulting from specific joint damage, generalized inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis increases the risk of developing other diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.
Treatment
Against mild and early rheumatoid arthritis, the attack treatment involves taking acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by mouth, which effectively and safely alleviate the symptoms of the disease.
When these remedies, used according to the doctor’s indications, can no longer adequately alleviate the disorder and in cases of more aggressive arthritis, you must switch, always on doctor’s prescription, to the so-called DMARDs (Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug), more energetic drugs and able to modify the course of the disease, slowing it down. This category includes active substances such as methotrexate, lefunomide, sulfasalazine.
In people with disabling arthritis who do not benefit sufficiently from NSAIDs or from different DMARDs, a therapy based on “biological” drugs can be undertaken, so defined as they consist not of chemicals, but of complex proteins (mostly, monoclonal antibodies) able to bind specific elements of the immune system, modulating their activity and dampening very effectively the inflammation associated with arthritis.
The use of these drugs is allowed exclusively under strict supervision of the rheumatologist.
When to consult your doctor
The family doctor should always be consulted when you notice that you suffer from the typical symptoms of the disease (in particular, inflammatory pain and stiffness of the joints upon waking up that improves during the day), without there being any known reasons that may have caused them (for example, too intense or unusual use of the hands) and when they persist for more than 2-3 days.
At the suggestion of the doctor or if the therapies initially proposed do not have the desired effects, it is advisable to also contact the rheumatologist.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.