Rhumetoid arthritis FAQ - rheumatory arthritus

Rhumetoid arthritis FAQ with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, all about rumatory arthritus medication and rheumatory arthrities relief treatment.

	Rhumetoid arthritis FAQ

Rheumatoid arthtitis exists in many different varieties, can display different symptoms and it requires patient specific treatment options. It is an autoimmune disease with a chronical progression pattern that affects the synovium in the joints and effectively break down the linings if not treated in time. Early diagnosing of rheumatoid arthritis is notoriously difficult and best left to a qualified doctor or physician.

What is rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?

Rhumetoid arthritis (rhumatory arthritus) is a disease from inside - it is your own immune system that releases an attack on the joints in a misguided belief that the joints are under attack. This is called an autoimmune disease. The part specifically targeted in the joint is the synovium, or the lining between the bones. This part is attacked with a sort of "killer cells" sent out by the immune system, these cells are inflammatory as an inflammation (rising temperature) is the body's standard response to threats - boil them out. The killer cells are neutrophils, macrophages and dendritic as well as plasma cells and of course lymphocytes. There is a very complicated interaction between all these cells when they reach the joint but in the end the result is clear, the joint is slowly destroyed. This condition - disease - is called rheumatory arthtitis.

What are the risks I will get rhumotoid arthritis?

Rhrumotoid arthritis is more commonly showing symptoms in female patients than in males. RA will also be more probable to occur in smokers than in non-smokers and there is also a genetical predisposition which means you may be more at risk if you have any relatives with rheumatoid arthritis. The hereditary link seems to be particularly strong in the siblin case which increases the risk of getting rheumetoid arthritis

What causes rhumitoid arthritis?

Currently, research has not arrived at any clear conclusion on the cause of rhumitoid arthritis symptoms and why they are initially triggered. There is a lot of new research going on though and with some recent interesing findings on RA, it seems likely that we will soon get a better idea on the actual cause of RA.

What are the typical symptoms of rhumatoid arthritis?

Normal symptoms of rhumatoid arthritis are swelling joints, often painful and frequently starting with fingers or toes. There is also often stiffness, particularly in the mornings which may last for one or several hours, or in extreme cases all day.

What can I do to prevent rhematoid arthritis?

Before the condition of rhematoid arthritis has actually broken out, science does not know any good method or preventing it as we have no firm idea of all the risk factors and what actually triggers the RA yet. As research procede, we will likely in a future find different triggers, such as work induced factors, biochemical factors and hereditary ones.

Once the rheumatiod arthritis (arthritus) has broken out, it can be prevented from proceeding to develop in its own rate. This is what is normally called secondary prevention which has the aim to slow down development and destruction of joints and thereby provide a maximum amount of rheumatory arthritis relief. Ordinary prevention presumes that avoiding more strain on the joints is a good way of doing it, since it is guessed that too much strain at this stage may worsen the disease. Many methods are therefore designed to offload the joints and to protect them from strain.

 

What rheumatory arthritis medicines are there? 

The use of DMARDs (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs) has been an important treatment of RA for years, these drugs include Folex and Rheumatrex, Arava (new and promising drug based on leflunomide), auranofin (which is gold administered orally), Plaquenil etc. There are many others as well such as Minocin, Dynacin, Imuran, Neoral and Sandimunne.

How does Enbrel (Embril) work?

Enbrel (Embril) is a result of the research on blocking of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and the drug is a member of the new promising group called TNF blockers. The TNF is the actual carrier of the signal that releases the killer cells to attack the joint. By intercepting and blocking this signal, the medicine effectively stops the inflammation. As they (the TNF blockers) also affect progression rate, they are frequently also classified as DMARD's. The most famous of the drugs is probably Enbrel (Embril) which is approved by the FDA. Others include Remicade, Rituxan and Kineret.

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