Helping you to understand rheumatoid arthritis

To date, there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. However, individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis have a better outlook and prognosis if the condition is caught early.




Outlooks and Prognosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

In addition, constant new development of medications and treatment plans help to improve the prognosis of those who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

The severity of Rheumatoid arthritis conditions will depend on the degree of tissue inflammation experienced by any individual. When body tissues are inflamed and swollen, the disease is considered to be active. When it subsides, it is considered to be in remission. Some individuals may experience remissions that last for years, while others only enjoy the respite for several days or weeks. Because of this, rheumatoid arthritis may affect each individual in differently. Because the condition is considered a systemic disease, the inflammation it produces may affect more than just the joints and joint pain, but may also include soft tissue areas of the body such as the lungs and eyes.

Typical treatments of rheumatoid arthritis focus on reducing the pain and inflammation to joints, maximizing joint function, and reducing further damage to tissues. Combinations of medications and joint strengthening exercises and education may help improve the prognosis for many of those diagnosed with any form of arthritis. Development of new medications and procedures are more effective at relieving symptoms and increasing periods of remission.

New Technology and Treatments

Modern biotechnology is constantly developing new combinations of medications that may help to reduce and even stop progressive joint damage. Tests are continuing on different types of drugs and combinatons of drugs that may treat moderate to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in some candidates that have not enjoyed benefits from medications used in the past.

In combination with medications, patients are being increasingly advised to engage in exercise to maintain joint ability and strength. Others may have to undergo surgery to help restore joint ability as well as to repair damaged joints and tissues. Future treatments are focusing on those that block the action of factors that initiate inflammation and those that involve curtailing actions within the autoimmune system.

In the future, methods that help to encourage early diagnosis and further development and research into anti-body and immune system research will aide scientists and doctors in understanding how various connective tissues within the body are affected by inflammation.  Early diagnosis and the prospect of gene profiling may also help to identify and target those who are predisposed to contracting rheumatoid arthritis earlier than ever before.

Proper diagnosis and management of arthritis is a key factor in reducing and limiting the damage and destruction that rheumatoid arthritis may cause in all age groups and genders. For this reason, individuals are advised to listen to what their body is trying to tell them and at the first sign of trouble, to seek the advice of medical care providers in order to limit potential complications associated with rheumatoid arthritis.




 

People who use four drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis are at risk of contracting fatal fungus infections, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The four drugs -- Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia -- will be required to have proper warning labels on their packaging.

The drugs suppress the body's immune system, a key component in the rheumatoid arthritis disorder. Although the drugs relieve swelling and alleviate joint pain, they also leave users vulnerable to other infections, the FDA concluded.

Roughly 20 percent of patients who were taking one of the drugs had died the fungal disease histoplasmosis, the FDA said. The infection, which resembles the flu, attacks the lungs and spreads.