Rheumatoid Arthritis

Healthy Living Guides » Health for Adults

Over 100 known forms of arthritis are making millions of people suffer today. The most weakening of all forms is rheumatoid arthritis. It causes joints to ache, throb, and eventually become deformed. Those who suffer from this disease often find it hard to do everyday tasks, like taking a walk, or opening a car or jar. Some have joints that are so deformed they are unable to even do the simplest job. No one knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis, but many believe it is the body’s immune system attacking the lining of your joints. This lining called the synovium.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is more common in women than in men and will usually strike an adult between the ages of 20 to 50. That is the general criteria for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, but people over 50 and children can also be affected.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects several joints at the same time. The first parts of your body are usually your wrists, shoulders, hands, and feet. As the disease gradually gets worse, it will attack the elbows, hips, neck, and jaw as well. It normally affects both sides at the same time.

You may find small lumps under skin where there are pressure points near your elbows, hands, feet, and Achilles tendons. They can affect other areas of your body, but that’s where they start. At some point, you may experience rheumatoid nodules on the back of your scalp, around your knees, and even in your lungs. They can affect your salivary glands, linings of your lungs and heart, and sometimes the tear duct glands. These lumps are usually not painful. They can be the size of a pea or the size of a walnut.

There are some signs of rheumatoid arthritis. Some of those signs are:

Aching and stiffness of joints and muscles, especially after a time of rest.
Pain and swelling in the joints, especially the smaller ones like in the hand.
Loss of motion in the joints.
Low-grade fever.
Strength is lost in the muscles attached to the affected joints.
Chronic fatigue when there is a flare-up of the disease.
Deformity of joints.
General sense of just not feeling well. Unable to pinpoint exactly why they feel bad.

Any or all of these signs may come, go, and largely depend on what type of activity you are taking part in.

Facts About Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid is a disease that doesn’t go away, but it does come in “episodes.” A person may go into remission for a period, and then have another flare up of pain, swelling, weakness, and difficulty sleeping. You may experience a flare up, and then have several weeks or months of remission before it attacks again. There isn’t any reason why a person can’t be productive and useful lives while working around the attacks of your rheumatoid arthritis.

Some researchers theorize that rheumatoid arthritis could be the result of an infection or inflammation. When your body experiences an infection or inflammation, it sends white blood cells through the bloodstream and attacks the lining of the joints. Their usual job is to attack bacteria and viruses in the body, instead it attacks the lining of the joints.

Other risk factors can increase your chances of having rheumatoid arthritis. Risk is increased as you age. The good news is if you are over the age of 80, the risk decreases.You also have a higher risk of having rheumatoid arthritis if you are a woman, and if you have been exposed to a virus or bacteria. Although the disease is not inherited, there is evidence that specific genes you inherit could make you more prone to this arthritis. Last, smoking cigarettes over a many years can also increase your chances of rheumatoid arthritis.

Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis

There isn’t a cure for rheumatoid arthritis yet. Scientists and researchers are still searching for the cause when that is found hopefully a cure would follow.

With the proper treatment, change in lifestyles, and a plan to prevent joints a person may still be able to live a productive and long life. Deformity or swelling may limit your flexibility, but even in the most severe form of rheumatoid arthritis, you will probably still keep flexibility in most of your joints.