Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis

Every person is going to put a real premium on their mobility, and we’re not just talking about being able to put one foot in front of the other as you walk. Mobility also has to do with flexing your arms at the elbows, doing the same for your legs at the knees, bending forward at the hip, and so on. All of those movements are pretty darn important for all sorts of day-to-day activities, and all of them rely on having good joints. Unfortunately, as we age our joints become less smoothly flexible, and in worst cases people may begin to see rheumatoid arthritis symptoms that indicate the onset of this condition.

What is rheumatoid arthritis? It is a very common autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system receives misinformation that causes it to attack the joints and force a thickening of the synovium, which is the tissue that lines the inside of the joint. Thickened synovium in a joint means increased swelling and pain in and around the joint, and it also inhibits the synovium’s ability to produce synovial fluid – which is essential for joint fluidity and full mobility with them. This swelling and pain and decreased synovial fluid being present is what starts the onset of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms tend to surface around middle age for people who are going to develop it, but it can occur in younger individuals as well. Let’s look at what makes some people more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than others as well as touch on rheumatoid arthritis treatment and rheumatoid arthritis medications.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes

The medical community doesn’t have a consensus on what exactly causes rheumatoid arthritis, but in strictly physiological terms it is attributable to an abnormal immune system response. One factor that is known is that people with a specific genetic marker called the HLA shared epitope are 5 times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis symptoms than those without it. Other genes that can be rheumatoid arthritis causes based on the individual’s physiology include STAT4 (regulation and activation of the immune system), TRAF1 and C5 (susceptibility to chronic inflammation), and PTPN22 (development and progression of the arthritic response).

It’s also believed that bacteria or viruses may trigger development of the disease in people who have a genetic predisposition for it. Female hormones are also suspected to play a role, and 70% of RA sufferers are women. Obesity is also one of the more common causes of rheumatoid arthritis. Lesser contributing influences can be environmental factors like exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollution, insecticides, mineral oil or silica.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

The stiffness and pain of movement that make up the bulk of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are hard to look past for most people, and particularly so because the pain and immobility is nearly constant. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms related specifically to the joints include:

  • Joint pain, tenderness, swelling or stiffness for six weeks or longer
  • Morning stiffness for 30 minutes or longer
  • Multiple (more than 1) joint being affected
  • Small joints (wrists in particular) being especially affected
  • Same joints on both sides of the body being affected

Symptoms that may accompany of the above and may also indicate RA are fatigue, low-grade fever, or loss of appetite.

There are also related rheumatoid arthritis symptoms that are seen in organs and body systems once the autoimmune disease is well established. They include:

  • Dryness pain, redness, and light sensitivity in the eyes
  • Dryness, infection, or gum irritation in the mouth
  • Small lumps under the skin over bony areas (rheumatoid nodules)
  • Shortness of breath in the lungs due to inflammation and scarring
  • Blood vessel inflammation that can lead to nerve, skin, and organ damage
  • Anemia (low red blood cell count)

Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

The most common approach for rheumatoid arthritis treatment is to put the individual on a course of medication with one of a number of different rheumatoid arthritis medications. Some are designed to ease rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, while others work to slow the progression of the disease.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen are effective for easing the pain and inflammation that are front and center with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Celebrex (celecoxib) is an NSAID that’s prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis treatment when the patient has stomach lining problems. There are also NSAID creams that can be applied topically as a rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

When RA is in its developmental stage then a physician may choose to instead prescribe a corticosteroid or DMARD (disease-modifying antirheumatic drug) medication to aid the body’s natural resistance to autoimmune disease. Standard corticosteroids prescribed here as rheumatoid arthritis medications include Medrol (methylprednisone), and DMARD meds used to slow rheumatoid arthritis or when NSAIDs are ineffective include Methoblastin (Methotrexate) and Azulfidine (Sulfasalazine).

There’s also a new type of DMARD medications called JAK inhibitors that work to block pathways needed for the body’s immune response and are an effective rheumatoid arthritis treatment, but this approach is not commonly taken by physicians at this time unless the approaches above are proven to be ineffective.

All rheumatoid arthritis medications prescribed for RA are usually paired with physiotherapy exercises for maximum benefit.

Surgery

Surgery becomes an option for rheumatoid arthritis treatment when the patient does not respond well to medications and physiotherapy. Joint replacement surgery can restore function in ones badly damaged by RA. The procedure involves replacing damaged parts with synthetic replacement that serve the same function as the biologic ones they’re replacing, and hip and knee replacement surgeries are the most common ones.