Rheumatoid arthritis

Alternative Names

Rheumatoid arthritis

What is Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of chronic arthritis that commonly affects joints on both sides of the body (hands, wrists or knees). Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood or nerves.

Signs and symptoms

There is a list of the most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis:

• Joint pain and swelling
• Stiffness, especially in the morning or after sitting for long periods
• Fatigue

Rheumatoid arthritis affects everyone in a different way. For some people, joint symptoms develop gradually over several years. For others, rheumatoid arthritis may progress rapidly.

Possible complications

Rheumatoid arthritis can cause the following conditions:

• Osteoporosis. Rheumatoid arthritis itself, along with some medications used for rheumatoid arthritis, can increase your risk of osteoporosis- a condition that weakens your bones and makes them more prone to fracture.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome. If rheumatoid arthritis affects your wrists, the inflammation can compress the nerve that serves most of your hand and fingers.
• Heart problems. Rheumatoid arthritis can increase your risk of hardened and blocked arteries, as well as inflammation of the sac that encloses your heart.
• Lung disease. People with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of inflammation and scarring of the lung tissues which can lead to progressive shortness of breath.

What causes

Scientists do not know the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis, but they suggest that it happens due to a combination of genetic, environmental and hormonal factors. With rheumatoid arthritis, something seems to trigger the immune system to attack the joints and sometimes other organs. Some scientists suggest that a virus or bacteria may alter the immune system, causing it to attack the joints. Others suggest that smoking can cause rheumatoid arthritis.

Prevention

Unfortunately, rheumatoid arthritis cannot be prevented, although progression of the disease usually can be stopped by early, aggressive treatment.

Treatment

There are some drugs that relieve arthritis symptoms (joint pain, stiffness and swelling):

• Anti-inflammatory painkiller drugs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen
• Topical (applied directly to the skin) pain relievers
• Corticosteroids such as prednisone
• Narcotic pain relievers

Strong medicines known as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. They work by interfering with or suppressing the immune system's attack on the joints. They are:

• Plaquenil (originally used to treat malaria)
• Immune suppression drugs such as methotrexate, Imuran, and Cytoxan
• Biologic treatments, such as Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Orencia, and Rituxan
• Other drugs such as Azulfidine and Arava