Arthritis Cure Information and Tips

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is inflammation in joints causing pain, swelling, stiffness or loss of function. It has several different symptoms which makes it different from other types of Arthritis. Most importantly it occurs generally in symmetrical pattern, meaning to say if one feet or hand is affected, the other one also gets affected. Rheumatoid Arthritis often affects wrists, fingers, knees, ankles or feet joints. Sometimes it also causes fatigue, occasional fevers, and even anemia.

Like any other Rheumatic disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis occurs when a person’s self immune system attacks joint tissues for unknown reasons. White blood corpuscles of immune system travel to joints’ synovium and affects synovial fluid causing inflammation (medically known as synovitis), meaning causing pain, swelling, redness and warmth.

Slowly as rheumatoid arthritis progresses, it also invades and destroys the surrounding joint cartilage and bones; even the muscles, ligaments and tendons around start degenerating and stop working normally. This condition is extremely painful and patients suffer severely performing their daily routine chores.

Rheumatoid Arthritis usually begins in elderly people but it is also being diagnosed in children and young adults. Women are more prone to this disease then man, about 2 times as many women as men have this disease. It is found in people of all ethnic groups and races.

Researchers still are not clear about the exact causes for immune system to turn against itself in Rheumatoid Arthritis, but a several factors found to be the reasons for causing this disease.

• Genetically Inherited factors.
• Bacterial Infections.
• Hormonal factors during pregnancy and breast feeding.
• Weakness due to aging or anemia.

Rheumatic Arthritis treatment has various approaches. Main goals of treatment are to relive the pain, reduce the inflammation, stop or at least slow down the joint damage. Doctor may suggest patient to reduce joint stress activities, take rest and exercise with the help of a physiotherapist, and maintain a healthful diet avoiding alcoholic brewages during treatment.

Studies showed that patients who are well informed about their condition, taking good care of themselves by actively participating in the healthy activities and consuming medicines as prescribed by the Doctor have less pain then other Rheumatoid Arthritis patients who do not actively take care of themselves.