Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and degenerative disease characterized by causing inflammation of the synovial membrane (the membrane that feeds protects and covers the cartilage) of the joints and in the surrounding tissues. Sometimes arthritis can have extra-articular behavior and damage organs and systems such as the heart, kidney, and lung.
The inflammation of this membrane is responsible for the pain, the visible swelling, the feeling of stiffness that patients can feel in the morning, and the loss of joint mobility.
It affects some joints more intensively than others, mainly the most mobile ones such as the hands and feet, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. Some are never affected.
If the swelling remains in a sustained and is not controlled, it can end up damaging the bones, the ligaments, and the tendons there around the joint. Comprehensive Pain Management can lead to progressive joint deformity and loss of the ability to perform everyday tasks and movements. All this affects the quality of life of the patients.
Causes
The cause of the appearance of this disease is unknown. Infectious agents such as bacteria or viruses have been studied and, although suggestive data has been found in some cases, there is still no evidence to confirm their involvement.
Specialists believe that it may have a genetic origin since the immune system itself attacks the joints because it does not recognize them as its own, and therefore they become inflamed. Furthermore, it is believed that certain proteins that are transmitted in a hereditary manner may predispose to the disease.
Treatments
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that currently has no treatment to cure pathology. However, pharmacological therapies and Chronic Back Pain Treatment strategies are very effective and allow good control of the disease.
The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis includes two types of drugs: those used to relieve pain (anti-inflammatory and corticosteroids), and those that serve to modify the disease in the long term. The latter can be effective weeks and even months after treatment. They are not effective in one hundred percent of patients, according to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, so the doctor usually prescribes several sequentially until finding the one that is more effective and better tolerated by the patient.
The mainstay of therapy is disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (Fames). Among them, the most widely used is methotrexate. Other drugs would be sulfasalazine, leflunomide, or gold salts (nowadays not in use).
According to Best Arthritis Doctor Near Me, the early prescription of these treatments is essential to minimize joint inflammation and disease progression.
In cases where Fames do not work properly, Doctors Who Specialize In Rheumatoid Arthritis treat pathology with biological therapies. These are drugs designed with complex formulas that include TNF antagonists (etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab), abatacept, and rituximab. These drugs are very effective in improving pain and inflammation and in preventing joint destruction.
Both biological therapies and Fames can have side effects, but they are generally quite safe and are well tolerated by patients.
Doctors Who Treat Arthritis says that if the disease is very advanced, the patient may need surgery.
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