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| Autoimmune Diseases: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) | | This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer. | | | |
| Overview of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints. However, it may also cause anemia, eye inflammation, heart attacks, heart failure, myocarditis, pericarditis, pleurisy, vasculitis, shortness of breath, skin ulcers, stomach ulcers, strokes, and neuropathies (numbness and tingling). |
| Rheumatoid Arthritis MedicineNet. |
| Morning stiffness and its influence on early retirement in patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Severe morning stiffness in the early course of the disease has a high impact on RA patients’ decision to withdraw from working life. G. Westhoff. Rheumatology Access Online. April 15, 2008. (Also See: Disability) |
| Don’t ignore that pain. Rheumatoid arthritis may start suddenly, with many joints becoming inflamed at the same time. Most often however, it starts subtly, gradually affecting the joints and may go unnoticed or ignored. The inflammation is usually symmetrical whereby if one side of the body is affected, the corresponding joint on the other side is also affected. The Star On-line. 07/01/07. |
| Two kinds of arthritis most prevalent. The word arthritis is a broad term used to refer to more than 100 conditions that can cause joint pain. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the most well known. Pocono Record. 06/07/07. (Also see: Arthritis) |
| Study Offers New Perspective on Nitric Oxide Signaling in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Scientists have found evidence that challenges current thinking about the cause of rheumatoid arthritis. Newswise. 10/30/06. |
| Gold Therapy in Women Planning Pregnancy: Outcomes in One Center. Our clinic experience and the published literature support the current practice that in patients with RA, gold may still be considered a treatment option in women planning pregnancy. J Rheumatol 2007;34:1827-31. (Also see: Pregnancy and Scleroderma) |
| Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
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| Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
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| Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is generally diagnosed and treated by rheumatologists, in most countries. ISN. |
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| Rheumatoid Arthritis in Overlap |
| Rheumatoid Arthritis in overlap is when RA is found with other autoimmune diseases or chronic illness. RA is often found in overlap with other connective tissue diseases such as scleroderma, lupus, and polymyositis/dermatomyositis. It can also be found with other diseases such as thyroiditis, fibromyalgia, and sjogren's. ISN. |
| Prevention of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Self-care Tips. Although there is no known way to prevent the development of rheumatoid arthritis, you can reduce the pain of flare-ups and prevent joint deformity by following your doctor's treatment recommendations. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, College of Medicine. |
| Impact of smoking as a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA): A meta-analysis of observational studies. Smoking is a risk factor for RA for and is especially strongly associated with RA for RF+ male and both male and female heavy smokers. D. Sugiyama. Ann Rheum Dis. 27 January 2009. |
| Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody, Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Disease Duration as Risk Factors for Extraarticular Manifestations (EAM) in Korean Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Longer disease duration, smoking history, and positive anti-CCP antibody contributed significantly to the occurrence of EAM in Korean patients with RA. Alcohol consumption in patients with RA had a negative association with EAM. J Rheumatol First Release May 1 2008. (Also see: RA Antibodies). |
| Rheumatoid arthritis patients who smoke have a higher need for DMARDs and feel worse, but they do not have more joint damage than non-smokers of the same serological group. The higher use of DMARDs may indicate that smoking weakens the potency of anti-rheumatic drugs and/or is needed to control an otherwise higher disease activity. G. Westhoff. Rheumatology Access Online. April 4, 2008. |
| The effects of tobacco smoking and rheumatoid factor seropositivity on disease activity and joint damage in early rheumatoid arthritis. Tobacco smoking has an adverse effect on patients with early RA and this is possibly immunologically mediated. Rheumatology 2006 45(6):734-740. |
| Treatments of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis include medications such as immunosuppressants and biologics, alternative therapies and supplements, and exercise. Many patients respond to a combination of medication and alternative therapies. ISN. |
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| Research of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Does the weather really matter? A cohort study of influences of weather and solar conditions on daily variations of joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the present sample, pain was significantly associated with 3 or more weather variables in 1 out of 6 patients, for whom the magnitude of weather sensitivity might significantly influence pain reporting in clinical care and research. (PubMed) G. Smedslund. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Aug 27;61(9):1243-1247. |
| Queensland rheumatoid arthritis research offers hope for sufferers. A research team has been working on a new cell free therapy that will target the patient’s own auto-immune system to kick in and treat the disease. PressZoom. 07/11/07. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma: Dendritic Cells) |
| Support for Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Australia, New South Wales: Arthritis New South Wales |
| United States: Arthritis Foundation |
| Personal Stories of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Rheumatoid Arthritis Personal Stories. These personal stories are from people who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or who have been nearly diagnosed, or misdiagnosed with it; as well as those who have RA in overlap with other autoimmune diseases. ISN. (Also see: Difficult Diagnosis) |
| Media Articles about Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Early detection of arthritis can help down the road. For 56-year-old Mary Boudreau, her bad days often outnumber her good days. In 1993, Boudreau was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, one of the most serious and debilitating autoimmune diseases. Oxford Press. 06/29/07. |
| Chemist finds new ways to make vaccines. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to break down its own cartilage, causing stiffness, pain, and swelling. Boston Globe 03/09/04. |
| Dry eyes can cause misery but no tears. Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or Sjogren's syndrome are the leading causes of the aqueous form, said David Sullivan, a senior scientist at Schepens. The Boston Globe, 2/24/2004. (Also see: Lupus and Sjogren's Syndrome) |
