There are many kinds of rheumatic diseases, and according to incomplete statistics, there are more than 300 kinds that can be named. Among them, rheumatoid arthritis is the most prevalent, with almost 1 in 200 people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. In a country with a large population like China, the total number of patients is quite large. Among the doctors and nurses around me, there is no shortage of rheumatoid arthritis patients. When you read this sentence, you are thinking, “Huh? How can you still work? In the early years, due to the backwardness of the treatment technology, the treatment means for rheumatoid arthritis is relatively limited, and people’s awareness of this disease is also insufficient, all many patients can not be timely diagnosed in the early stage, can not be timely treatment, late stage joint deformation and no good treatment, and finally waiting for rheumatoid arthritis patients is the result of joint deformation, disability, life can not take care of themselves. Therefore, rheumatoid arthritis has been known as the “undead cancer”. The fear of rheumatoid arthritis can be seen from this title. Under the enormous pressure of this title, many patients who do not understand this disease are easily overcome with despair after the disease. I will say a few performance, you can see if you can be right: 1, panic: think they have an incurable disease, the future will certainly be disabled, so the heart and fear and panic, do not know what to do. 2.Let it go: I think I have this disease can not be cured anyway, who cares who, do not see nor cure, let fate take its course. 3, indifferent: just a little bit of joint pain, not blocking food and drink, and do not bother to see a doctor. Bear the pain, eat painkillers, just do not go to the doctor. 4, the indiscriminate treatment: many patients after the disease, panic, seeking medical help around, listening to some neighbors’ prescriptions, the doctor’s secret recipe, the root of the miracle drug. Finally not only spent money, delayed the disease, but also ate a lot of side effects. These are misconceptions, in order to correct everyone’s misconceptions, out of the misconceptions, I first give you rheumatoid arthritis is what happened. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology and chronic, mainly synovitis. It predominates in women and is 2 to 3 times more common than in men. It can occur at any age, with a high incidence between 40 and 60 years of age. The youngest has the onset of the disease at the age of 2 years, and there are patients in the elderly, as well as those in their 80s and 90s. The early manifestations of the disease are morning stiffness and painful swelling of the joints. It is a non-specific manifestation of joint inflammation, which means that not all morning stiffness is rheumatoid arthritis, but may also be osteoarthritis or other arthritis. Its duration is proportional to the severity of the inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis can involve joints of all sizes throughout the body. Many people may have the impression that rheumatoid arthritis is a symmetrical swelling and pain in small joints (such as finger joints). This is not the case. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause swelling and pain in small joints such as the fingers, toes, wrists, temporomandibular joints, etc. It can also involve large joints such as elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, etc. It may even involve the cervical spine, which can manifest with neck pain and neck weakness. It is not always a small joint, nor is it always symmetrical, especially in the early stages of the disease, but can be a single joint or a large joint, such as the knee. Do not be misled by the traditional concept of “symmetrical, small joint involvement”, which delays the best time for treatment. Rheumatoid arthritis can start slowly or suddenly. Some patients start with fluctuating and wandering symptoms, with pain in this joint today and in that joint tomorrow, without medication, and then get better in a few days, and then get worse in a few days. Patients often go to the hospital only after several months. There are also a few patients who may suddenly develop swelling and pain in multiple joints throughout the body due to a trigger, such as a cold or infection. This is less common, and most cases are of the former type. Remember, rheumatoid arthritis is a treatable disease. And the earlier it is treated, the better the results and the more you can prevent joint deformation. The reason for joint deformation is that prolonged inflammation of the joints destroys the cartilage and bone near the joints, causing the joint gaps that were supposed to serve as lubrication and cushioning to disappear, and the bone surfaces at the ends of the joints lack a surface barrier, which gradually fuse together like fractured bones, resulting in joint stiffness. More deformed and ankylosed joints are disabled. Medication cannot change the already destroyed bone and already deformed joints, and even surgery is difficult to solve all joint deformities, especially in small joints. Therefore, diagnosis and treatment must be done before it is too late. Once you have unexplained joint swelling and pain, especially if it has been going on for a while, go to the hospital. How early is too early? Although we say that the earlier the better, there is an approximate period of time for this “early”. This period is within 6-12 months from the onset of joint symptoms. From our professional point of view, 12 months or less is considered “early” and 6 months or less is considered “early”. Why is there such a time frame? It has to do with the time from the onset of symptoms to the earliest bone destruction. Most patients begin to experience bone destruction about one year after the onset of the disease, so treatment within this time frame can achieve better results. However, this is not absolute, as some patients start earlier and some later. So, the earlier the better! (Say the important thing three times.) However, even in advanced stages, when many joints are deformed, there is not no chance of treatment or value of treatment. Although medications cannot change an already deformed joint, they can control the symptoms of joint swelling and pain, reduce the patient’s pain, and prevent further joint deformation. In recent years, there have been rapid advances in testing technology, and there are now many convenient and sensitive laboratory tests, including blood tests, joint ultrasound, and MRI, which allow us to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis at a very early stage of the disease, rather than waiting until the joints are already swollen and painful, or even deformed, as was the case decades ago. In addition, treatment has come a long way. There are now many different types of medications available to treat rheumatoid arthritis. These include the traditionally used oral medications, as well as newer biologics, and localized joint closure therapy. Therefore, rheumatoid arthritis can be diagnosed and treated early in the true sense of the word. With today’s examination and treatment methods, it is possible to control the symptoms and avoid joint deformation. Patients can also work and live normally without much psychological stress. Early diagnosis and treatment is the doctor’s job, and the patient needs to do only one thing, which is to follow the doctor’s advice and use the medicine regularly. Due to the variety of treatment methods, doctors can completely control the disease well while ensuring safety. After reading this article, do you still think rheumatoid arthritis is an “undead cancer”?