How can Rheumatoid arthritis be effectively treated?
Rheumatoid arthritis affects around 400,000 individuals within the UK, it is the most relentless chronic form of arthritis, and for adults it is the second most common form in patients (1). “RA is more prevalent among women than men, and usually develops in the fourth to fifth decades of life” (A). Rheumatoid arthritis is severe as it is a form of autoimmune disease, this is where the body’s immune system attacks and damages working tissue, due to the failure to recognise the difference between foreign cell and normal cells. For example it damages the synovial membrane surrounding the knee, and bone erosion begins. This damage to the working tissue triggers an inflammatory response causing fluid to build around the knee (2). However it can happen in any joint, this is why it’s such a large problem as you simply can’t inhibit the effects of the immune system, as it would leave you extremely vulnerable to more life threatening diseases. If effective treatment isn’t applied it could be disabling to patients, the inflammation causes pain, stiffness, muscle ache, rheumatoid nodules (lumps of tissue) and tiredness (3).
The problem of Rheumatoid arthritis is it causes disabling pain and is difficult to postpone the rate of which it develops. There are a number of ways the pain aspect can be reduced, and processes are available to avoid pain and prevent inflammation. The most common way to prevent this aspect is the use of painkillers such as codeine and paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, and corticosteroids drugs are usually used (4).
However currently scientists are trying to discover methods to stop the body attacking the bone...
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...machine is a small electronic device that sends pulses to your nerve endings via pads placed on your skin”. The disadvantages to this are that its time consuming and some exercises could be too painful to do. (14)
The data from source 14 was obtained from arthritis research UK, which is a member of the Fundraising Standard Board and has been a charity since 1936. The charity works by funding developments into arthritis research, therefore the information on the website is correct as its source, is from a research centre, additionally the data is supported on the NHS website. However the data could be bias to give false hope to people to encourage funding.
These alternative solutions only work by postponing the damage or relieving the pain whereas anti TNF works by stopping the source of the problem and allowing patient to return to previous state of well being.
Ding T, Ledingham J, Luqmani R, Westlake S, Hyrich K, Lunt M, Kiely P, Bukhari M, Abernethy R, Bosworth A, Others. BSR and BHPR rheumatoid arthritis guidelines on safety of anti-TNF therapies.Rheumatology. 2010; 49 (11): 2217--2219.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory and an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissue (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017). This disease affects the entire body, which is called a systemic (means entire body) disease. Arthritis is derived from the word part arthr-, which means “joint,” and -itis, which means “inflammation,” so altogether it means “inflammation of the joints.” It creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (synovium) to thicken. About 1.5 million people in the U.S. are affected. It affects all races, but it affects three times as many women than men (What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, n.d.). Overtime, rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling that can potentially result in bone erosion or joint deformity, which leads up to physical disabilities. RA can affect more than just your joints, but can spread to body systems, skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood vessels, e.t.c (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017).
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, it affects millions of people around the world. It is also known as Degenerative Joint Disease or Degenerative Arthritis or Wear & Tear Arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage in the joints wear down over time. While osteoarthritis can affect any joint in your body, it more often is seen in the knees, hips, hands, neck, and lower back it worsens as you grow older and has no known cure.
The majority of clinical cases of laminitis occur at pasture where there is an accumulation of rapidly fermentable non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) such as fructans, simple sugars or starches (Geor, 2010). Pasture-associated laminitis has major economic and welfare implications in the equine sector. Increased risk factors include insulin resistance, increased insulin secretory response, hypertriglyceridaemia and obesity (Asplin, et al., 2007;Carter, et al., 2009 and de Laat, et al., 2010). Insulin resistance has been associated with a number of problems in the horse, most notably laminitis. Insulin resistance can be defined as a physiological condition in which cells have a diminished response to normal actions of the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced but the cells become resistant and are less capable in transporting glucose from the bloodstream to muscle and other tissues. In horses, insulin resistance is associated with a number of diseases such as Equine Metabolic Syndrome (Powell, et al., 2002; Hoffman, et al., 2003;Vick, et al., 2006 and Frank, et al., 2009), Equine Cushing Disease (McGowan, et al., 2004 and Walsh, et al., 2009) and Laminitis (Treiber, et al., 2006;Bailey, et al., 2007;McGowan, 2008 and Geor, 2008). Obesity and insulin resistance in ponies has become a common problem and there is a growing awareness on the role that diet and exercise has to play (Jeffcott, et al., 1986; Frank, et al., 2006 and Vick & Adams, 2007). Over-expressed adipocytokines, such as leptin, have been suggested to impair insulin signalling and cause the up regulation of inflammatory cytokines. This then further contributes to impaired insulin signalling and endothelial dysfunction (Radin, et al., 2009). The restriction of energy throu...
Osteoarthritis is not a curable condition, but it can be treated using both pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods. Mild analgesics are a common form of treatment for OA, including Acetaminophen and NSAIDs, taking into consideration other co-morbidities that may be present. It is recommended that adults over 75 years of age utilize topical NSAIDs rather than oral for treatment of the pain (Tugwell et al, 2012). Research by A...
Osteoarthritis can be known as or sometimes called degenerative joint disease. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that affects not only the old and sick, although 55 and older are most common to be affected, people of all ages may receive osteoarthritis (OA). Approximately 27 million Americans are sharing the same common chronic conditions of the joints.
Arthritis affects people of all age groups. More than 100 types of arthritis are known. Among these osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis having the highest incidence. One of the major causes of chronic debilitation in industrialized nations is Osteoarthritis which results from damage to the joints, which may be due to trauma, infection, or age-related wear. Rheumatoid arthritis is encountered less frequently than osteoarthritis and is estimated to affect around one per cent of the world’s population. Amongst patients of Rheumatoid arthritis, women are three times more likely to be affected by this condition than men. This condition is caused by an inflammatory process where the body starts attacking itself. Rheumatoid arthritis also affects several joints, with inflammation sometimes seen in and around the lungs, the heart, the eyes and the skin. The most commonly reported complaint by arthritis patients is pain. The pain might be from the joint itself and be a result of inflammation, damage from the disease, or through daily wear and tear. Muscle pain is also common and is caused by having to force movements against stiff and painful joints. Although range of movement in the affected joint may be limited and uncomfortable, physical exercise has been shown to benefit those with arthritis. Physical therapy has been shown to significantly improve function, decrease pain in the long term and delay the need for surgery in advanced cases. The majority of arthritis cases occur among theelderly, however the disease can occur in children as well. Over 70% of the population that get affected by arthritis in North America are over the age of 65 (4). The disease occurs more commonly in females than males in all races, age groups, and ethn...
Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects the joints and it is the most common type of arthritis. Evidence shows that the majority of the people affected are the over 60 (S. R 2006) This disease damages the surfaces of the joints stopping it from moving as smoothly as it should. The disease can also be referred to as osteoarthrosis or degenerative joint tissues. Osteoarthritis is more common in women than men but the prevalence
..., and as technology has improved, the machines have become smaller, portable and available for use at the patient's bedside.
Bibliography: Arthritis Foundation, Understanding Arthritis (1986); Kelley, William N., et al., eds., Textbook of Rheumatology, 2d ed., (1985); McCarty, Daniel F., ed., Arthritis and Allied Conditions, 11th ed. (1988); Moll, J. M. H., Rheumatology in Clinical Practice (1987).
Rheumatoid Arthritis is when the joints are chronically inflamed, which happens because it is an autoimmune disease which means that the immune system attacks the body tissues. Although Rheumatoid Arthritis mainly affects the joints, it can also affect other organs.
Understanding Sciatica: symptoms & diagnosis. What is a sciatica? Sciatica is the name given to any case of pain that is caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, running from the lower back down the back of each leg.
Arthritis occurs when the body incorrectly identifies its own tissue as foreign matter and attacks it. Arthritis includes a set of more than eighty autoimmune diseases. Arthritis attacks connective tissues and joints. It causes stiffness, pain, inflammation, and swelling of the joints. Some kinds are crippling, but rarely leads to death. There are many different kinds of arthritis, the main ones being Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis; others include gout and ankylosing spodylitis.
One of the most common mysteries in the world is the development of autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is when the immune system, which usually keeps your body healthy thinks that your healthy cells are antigens and attacks them. This is irony right? It is against properties of evolution for an immune system to attack itself causing sickness and possibly death if untreated. There are about 80 different types of autoimmune diseases, which usually have periods of little to no symptoms and worsening symptoms. What particularly creates confusion in the world is the autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, which affects almost about five million people worldwide.
On the other hand in an article published by the NIH (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Dis...