What Are The Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms, Causes, And Its Prevention

Posted on November 12, 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic blight that causes inflammation in the joints. This Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms mostly affected is the wrists, fingers and toes, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. The inflammation of the joint causes pain, deformity, and difficulty in movement, as the cartilage wears away and the bones that it separates rub against each other. There is an unknown cause of this disease, and there is currently no possible cure. The damage produced in the bone and the cartilage is irreparable. Therefore, the treatment of this pathology seeks to alleviate the pain and disability of the patients and avoid permanent damage to the affected joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints of both parts of the body equally. Fingers, wrists, knees, feet, elbows, ankles, hips, and shoulders are the parts that suffer the most and most frequently. The disease starts slowly, and the first symptoms are mild joint pain, stiffness, and fatigue. Other symptoms also include morning stiffness, lasting more than one hour. As for the joints may experience heat, weakness, or become tender and stiff when not used for a while. It can identify Joint pain in the same joint on both sides of the body. Joints can sometimes be inflamed. Gradually the joints may lose their range of motion and become deformed.

Among other symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis are:

Chest pain when breathing (pleurisy)
Dry eyes and mouth, which is called Sjögren’s syndrome
Burning, itching, and discharge from the eye
Nodules under the skin
Numbness or tingling in the extremities
Sleeping difficulties

What Are The Causes Of Rheumatoid Arthritis?

They are not yet known. It is an autoimmune disorder, and its origin involves Genetic factors: family history has a greater chance of developing the disease. Non-genetic factors: such as infections, female hormones, smoking, stress, obesity, and type of diet.

Can It Be Prevented?

Today there is no specific form of prevention. However, some risk factors such as cigarette smoking or chronic gum infections can aggravate rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore it is important to avoid tobacco and maintain good tooth and gum health. Correct and personalized treatment can make prevention against joint damage easier.

Medical Tests For Rheumatoid Arthritis

There is no type of test capable of diagnosing 100% whether or not the patient has rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, at the end of medical tests, some people achieve normal results. At the same time, most patients with rheumatoid arthritis may have abnormal results in some medical tests.

Two basic laboratory tests are often positive and help most people find an appropriate treatment.

Rheumatoid factor
Citrullinated Cyclic Peptide Antibodies

There are other types of exams such as:

Complete blood count
C-reactive protein
Red cell sedimentation rate
Joint X-rays
Analysis of liquids

Treatments For Rheumatoid Arthritis

In many cases, this disease requires long treatment. It may include:

Medicines of different types

Antirheumatic
Anti-inflammatories
Antimalarials
Corticosteroids
Biological agents

Physiotherapy

Joint protection techniques
Heat and cold treatments
Splints or braces to support and align the joints
It is advisable to sleep 8 to 10 hours a day and also take frequent breaks between activities

Surgery