Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Causes

RA Symptoms And Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis pain causes discomfort (or even misery) for millions of people around the world everyday. Rheumatoid arthritis, also commonly known as "RA," is considered a chronic inflammatory disease that affects millions of people all across the globe. It normally affects the joints in your fingers, wrists, elbows, knees and toes. It can also affect the muscles, ligaments, blood vessels and tendons in the surrounding areas. Women seem to be more affected by this disease than men although, it can be found in both men and women.

Sometimes RA will appear suddenly for no apparent reason when other times it comes on slowly and it normally affects adults between the ages of thirty-five and fifty. However, it can occur at any age. Rheumatoid arthritis can be a crippling disease that requires treatment for the rest of the person’s life. In some cases surgery is required because this disease can cause bone damage during the first couple of years.

RA has four stages ranging from mild to severe. The mild form of this disease will not involve any bone erosion and normally only a few joints are affected. If a person has between six and twenty affected joints then it’s considered a moderate disease. When more than twenty joints are affected and there is rapid joint destruction showing up on the x-rays it’s considered severe.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms

At this time, it’s unknown what causes rheumatoid arthritis but genetics, endocrine factors and infections seem to have a connection. Some typical rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include the following:

• Fatigue
• Weight Loss
• Persistent Low Fever
• Anorexia
• Malaise
• Weak and Painful Muscles
• Inflammation in Joints
• Tenderness in Joints
• Stiffness in Joints

The stiffness in the joints will be worse when the person has been inactive for long periods of time such as, when they awake in the morning after sleeping. After moving around for awhile the pain will subside. Over time, the patient will continue to feel pain even when they are resting as the joints become more damaged. The joints can begin to deform and in some cases they will feel hot to the touch. It’s possible for RA to cause inflammation to form in the eyes or blood vessels and lungs.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment

The treatment that works the best for RA will consist of prescription medicine, exercise and resting the joints. Some of the medications that are used for this disease include the following:

• Ibuprofen
• Aspirin
• Naproxen
• Diclofenac
• Corticosteroids

These drugs cannot stop the progression of RA but it can help to reduce the pain. There are other drugs used to treat RA but they do have some side effects to deal with. A couple of these are discussed below.

Methotrexate is used to help control this disease in some patients but it takes a couple of months before the person can build up to a dose that is effective. However, some of the side effects of this drug include gastrointestinal distress accompanied by mouth ulcers, abdominal pain and nausea.

TNF-inhibitors such as Infliximab, Etanercept, Adalimumab are also used but these may have some serious side-effects. Getting plenty of rest and exercising daily can help to reduce the pain accompanied by rheumatoid arthritis but in some cases the patient may need surgery. Studies are continuing to be done to try and determine what causes RA and for new and better treatment for this medical condition.
 

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Citations and Sources: National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic