Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a common rheumatic disease, is characterized by chronic, symmetric polyarthritis that affects joints and their surrounding tissues, resulting in joint pain, impaired mobility, and in severe cases, disability, and may damage multiple organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and nerves.
What is the cause of the disease?
The cause is unknown and may be related to infection, immune disorders, endocrine disorders, etc.
What is the risk of untreated RA?
Statistics show that untreated RA has a disability rate of 30% within 2 years and 70% within 3 years. Therefore, once you have the disease, or suspect that you have the disease, you should seek medical attention in a timely manner to reduce the risk of the disease, reduce the cost of treatment, and greatly improve the quality of life.
What are the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?
1, symmetrical joint swelling and pain, the small joints of the extremities are common, including metacarpophalangeal joints, proximal interphalangeal joints, wrist joints are most common.
2, morning stiffness: refers to the morning after waking up or after a period of time to stop talking and moving, the diseased joints appear stiff, limited activity, affecting turning, buttoning, fist clenching and other uncomfortable symptoms. The longer the duration of morning stiffness, the more serious the disease is.
3.Late stage manifests as different degrees of joint deformity, which leads to functional impairment and reduced self-care ability.
4.Diverse extra-articular manifestations, such as rheumatoid nodules and vasculitis are common.
5.If dry mouth and dry eyes appear, we should consider whether it is complicated by dry syndrome.
How to confirm the diagnosis?
The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis requires the doctor to combine the patient’s own symptoms with the results of laboratory tests to confirm the diagnosis.
How to treat?
”Early, regular, combined and long-term” are the four principles of treatment for RA.
Commonly used drugs include methotrexate (MTX), salazosulfapyridine (SASP), leflunomide (LEF), and Chinese herbal preparations.
When the disease is severe, a combination of various disease control drugs can be used, such as “methotrexate + Chinese medicine”. If there is joint pain, oral non-steroidal drugs, such as diclofenac, can be taken; also can be used externally to relieve pain, such as Chinese medicine to reduce swelling and pain cream, 808 cream, etc.. In the acute stage, small doses of hormones, such as prednisone, can be combined. At present, experts believe that RA is in need of long-term, even lifelong medication.
How to perform home care
A good family environment and good atmosphere is crucial to patient treatment and recovery.
1. Most patients are prone to pessimism and depression, and need the understanding and consideration of their families.
2. Patients are more likely to be middle-aged and elderly women, and they are burdened with more household chores, so family members should share the burden appropriately to avoid overworking patients and increasing the burden on joints.
3.Supervise patients to take their medication on time, and guide and assist them in functional exercises. Encourage patients to take care of themselves, such as dressing, eating and walking. If the patient is bedridden for a long time and the joint does not move, the joint function will be reduced or even lost.