Understand rheumatoid arthritis
“My joints really hurt and I feel so helpless”, maybe what most people that are affected by rheumatoid arthritis may say that may make most of you empathize with them. This is quite true because this disease of the joint that could first start off an inflammation of the joints and its adjoining tissues could further affect many more parts of the body and be a constant companion for a lifetime. You would surely realize if you have experienced it or been a part of observing someone being affected that rheumatoid arthritis could cause damage making it difficult to treat it fully. Only ways to bring about some relief and ease in the day to day activities can be expected, with medications only helping patients to get better, but not bringing about a full cure.
Your observation of an affected person would convince you that it affects both parts of the body equally, and it is common to note that it starts off with minor pain and swelling in the joints that is followed by fatigue. Affecting joints in the knees, feet, ankles, fingers and wrist, it is quite common to experience soreness and stiffness in the joints for a few hours after getting up in the morning. You may also find that the joints may feel quite warm as if you have a fever. Affecting people of all sex and ages, this joint disease that affects more middle aged women than men, it is seen that the joints that are affected in both parts of the body are the same.
It is also characteristic of the joints becoming less mobile and even deformed over a period of time. A more close study of the symptoms experienced by these people would convince you that they also experience many other symptoms like having a dry mouth, and also experiencing burning, itching, discharge and dryness of eyes. It is also common to find nodules below the surface of the skin in severe cases, with it not being rare to experience numbness, tingling and burning in the feet and hands, with it being a misfortune that rheumatoid arthritis patients suffer from pain in every part of the their body.
You will get real concerned when you realize that your loved one with rheumatoid arthritis suffers from not just soreness, stiffness and pain in the joints, but also carries the increased risk of various other health disorders. It is true that damage to the lung tissue, hardening of the arteries, swelling and inflammation of the outer lining of the heart and heart muscle, congestive heart failure, inflammation of the blood vessels leading to skin, nerve, heart, brain problems, and spinal injury when the neck bones become damaged are some of the health risks that cannot be overlooked.
Reasons for rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis can be a very debilitating disease, but the exact reason for this joint disease is not known very appropriately. It is to be understood that rheumatoid arthritis is brought about by a number of causes that include a combination of genetic susceptibility, environmental causes, autoimmune responses and other biological triggers like hormonal changes and viral infections. Understanding rheumatoid arthritis as an autoimmune disease, it is significant to note that as this disease of the joint develops, one of the immune cells present in the body refuse to recognize a type of protein cell present in the body and treat it more as an intruder.
This reaction leads to certain cells called lymphocytes reacting with the protein and causing the release of certain chemical messengers that are called cytokines. This is the cause of inflammation and destruction of the joints. The inflammation that is seen more in the thin membranes that line the joints; synovium soon spreads to other parts of the body and leads to the slow deterioration of the joint in the form of damage, pain, loss of function, inflammation and fatigue. It is also significant to understand that viral, bacterial and fungal infections could also lead to such a response.
Next one of the possible reasons for rheumatoid arthritis is genetic, with it running more in families that have human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes that would specifically lead to this joint disease. It is however still more significant to note that not all people with HLA genes get this joint disease; it only indicates that they stood a higher risk than others. In addition those affected by rheumatoid arthritis that have these genes may be more severely affected, and would call for drug treatment response to etanercept with anti-rheumatic drug methotrexate.
It is again significant to note that bacteria and viruses have not necessarily been proved to trigger rheumatoid arthritis with inflammation that can be damaging, but it is worth knowing that most antibodies attack and react with E. coli, the bacteria found in the intestine has been found to appear in the synovial fluid those affected with this joint inflammatory disease. This may prolong these diseases, however the part played by other potential triggers like Epstein-Barr virus, parvovirus B19, retroviruses, mycoplasma and mycobacterium cannot be overlooked.
All these go to understanding the reasons for rheumatoid arthritis.