RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Watch out for RA if you experience these:

• Joint pain and swelling
• Stiffness, especially in the morning or after you sit for a long time
• Fatigue

Rheumatoid arthritis affects everyone differently in terms of its chronologic sequence. Some people may have rheumatoid arthritis for a short time and then go into remission, which means they don’t have symptoms.

DIAGNOSIS:

There is no single test that shows whether you have RA. Your doctor will give you a checkup, ask you about your symptoms, and possibly perform X-rays and blood tests.

Rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed from a combination of things, including:

• The location and symmetry of painful joints, especially the hand joints
• Joint stiffness in the morning
• Bumps and nodules under the skin (rheumatoid nodules)
• Results of X-ray and blood tests

Rheumatoid factor may sometimes be present in people who do not have rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is based on a combination of joint problems, as well as test results.

Another blood test for rheumatoid arthritis is the cyclic citrulline antibody test (anti-CCP) that suggests a tendency toward a more aggressive form of rheumatoid arthritis.

People with rheumatoid arthritis show signs of inflammation in blood tests which are an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. They may also have mild anemia.

Since RA is an autoimmune disease, it can also be positive in an anitnuclear antibody test (ANA). ANA test is a test generally for autoimmune diseases.

RECOMMENDED MEDICATIONS

Some of these drugs prevent or slow down the joint pain, swelling, and inflammation.

Drugs that ease joint pain, stiffness, and swelling include:

• Anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen
• Pain relievers that you put on your skin
• Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
• Narcotic pain relievers

There are also many strong medications called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which weakens the immune system’s attack on the joints. They include:

• Plaquenil (originally used to treat malaria)
• Immune suppression drugs, such as methotrexate, Imuran, and Cytoxan
• Biologic treatments, such as Actemra, Cimzia, Kineret, Simponi, Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Orencia, and Rituxan
• Other drugs, such as Azulfidine, Arava, and Xeljanz