Arthritis & Rheumatism

There are over 100 types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. This site provides the latest arthritic and rheumatic information including the treatment options available.



Arthritis is a common disease that affects millions of people worldwide. This can be felt in the person's joints, skin and organs inside the body. Should the person feel anything wrong, it is advisable to go straight to the doctor. Doctors have discovered that there are over 100 types of arthritis. Given the number, the doctor will not be able to know which one is affecting the person without an examination.

There are 2 common forms of arthritis. The first is rheumatoid arthritis which is considered a chronic disease. There is inflammation in the joints caused by cartilage damage. Anyone who has this will suffer long term joint damage that will lead to chronic pain and disability. Pain is usually felt when waking up in the morning and will gradually disappear during the day.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a problem that will not go away. This happens in three stages. The first is swelling. The second is the rapid division and growth of cells. The third is when these cells release enzymes that will eat the bone causing the joint to lose shape until the person will not be able to move it anymore.

Since this is systemic disease, it can spread and affect other organs in the body. The best way to prevent is from happening is detecting it early to prevent the person from being disabled. This can be treated with proper medication and therapy. There many drugs available that the patient can use. Some drugs offer pain relief to reduce the inflammation. Others can just do one function.

The second is called osteoarthritis. This happens more often than rheumatoid arthritis but unlike the first, there is no inflammation present. The cartilage in the joint is damaged and will eventually degenerate. Pain will slightly be felt when the person gets up but this will hurt later on during the day. Osteoarthritis can either be primary or secondary. When it is primary, it is often associated with age. It is similar to a car where the parts have to be replaced due to wear and tear. Doctors consider this to be normal as people grow older.

The secondary type is often associated with something else that has caused this to happen. Some of these factors are an injury that took place, heredity, obesity and bone density. Osteoarthritis can be treated with medication, exercise, weight control, joint protection, physical and occupational therapy. This is done to relieve the pain and slow the progression of the disease. Both of these are caused by different things. The common thing between these 2 types is that joint pain can happen anywhere in the body.

Given the many medications available to treat this disease, the patient has to be aware of the side effects of each before choosing which one to use. The doctor should explain these to the person in order to make the right decision.



Wednesday, October 03, 2007

I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis. What Are My Chances For Becoming Disabled And Can I Do Anything About It?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune, inflammatory disease that affects more than 2 million Americans. It is a condition that is associated with increased mortality (rate of death) as a result of malignancy (lymphoma), cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke), and significant disability.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the state of the art as it relates to disability. It is clear that persistent disease activity leads to joint damage which leads to disability. While a patient has active disease- disease that is not well controlled- they will experience some degree of functional impairment. With the onset of permanent joint damage though, disability becomes a significant issue. How severe is the risk of disability from RA? A number of epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that roughly 20 per cent of patients with RA are disabled within one year, between 32 and 50 per cent of patients by 10 years, and up to 90 per cent after 30 years.

The most sobering statistic is the extent of potential disability in the first year. Disability of this magnitude has an enormous physical, social, psychological, and economic impact. Basic research has demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a major contributor to the joint damage that results from RA. TNF stimulates cells called osteoclasts to “chew away” at cartilage and bone. This chewing away process ultimately causes irreversible joint damage. While current therapies such as the combination of methotrexate with TNF-inhibitors (Examples include Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade) are very effective for controlling early RA, there has been scant proof of their ultimate impact on work outcomes. Recent studies though have demonstrated that early intervention with methotrexate and TNF-inhibitors is effective in reducing work disability. The best current study (presented at the European League Against Rheumatism meeting in 2007), is the PROWD study evaluating the effects of a combination of methotrexate with adalimumab (Humira).

The study showed that patients treated with the combination of methotrexate and adalimumab fared better as far as job loss and work time lost compared with patients taking methotrexate alone. All studies evaluating the newer therapies seem to agree on one issue: Because of the consequences that result from irreversible joint damage, only early aggressive intervention prevents irreversible disability. Therefore, prevention of disability and restoration of function should be an important goal of therapy. Both persistent disease activity and joint damage contribute to disability. The use of a combination of methotrexate and TNF inhibition early reduces inflammation and controls joint damage. It is this control of joint damage that helps preserve physical function and reduce work disability.

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