What is rheumatoid arthritis?
A chronic inflammatory condition known as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) results in joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. There are two main types of RA: rheumatoid nodules and polyarthritis. Rheumatoid nodules occur primarily on one side of the body; they can be small or large but tend to remain stationary.
They often cause no symptoms and are easy to miss because they are not tender or inflamed. Polyarthritis involves inflammation throughout your whole body; this type of RA tends shown in a RA factor test to cause more intense pain than its counterpart does because it affects multiple joints at once instead of just one joint as rheumatoid nodules alone would do. For example: if you have only experienced inflammation at one knee joint but now have problems throughout all four limbs).
Rheumatoid arthritis
Inflammation of the joints is a symptom of the chronic inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis vary from person to person and can be mild or severe. Symptoms may include:
- Joint pain develops slowly over months or years, usually in one joint at a time (for example, one hand). Pain may worsen when you move your body or bend your fingers or wrists. It may worsen after exercise or with the menstrual flow (menstrual periods).
- Joint swelling is often symmetrical (the same on both sides), but sometimes it’s asymmetrical (one side gets swollen more than the other). This can make it difficult to move certain parts of your body without causing pain in these joints; however, not everyone with this condition experiences this type of symptom.
Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a very common disease found by conducting a rheumatoid arthritis test to reveal what affects the joints, leading to pain and stiffness. There are three types of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) occurs when the sacroiliac joint becomes inflamed and develops structural changes. The sacroiliac is two joints in the pelvis that connect the hip bones. In AS, this connection becomes inflamed and stiffens over time, causing severe pain at those sites.
- Reactive arthritis refers to inflammation caused by an autoimmune reaction against certain proteins on the surface of synovial cells (the cells lining your joints). This type of arthritic condition can develop after an infection or injury; it usually lasts less than a year but may persist for several years following remission from symptoms during active disease periods (when patients aren’t feeling well).
- Psoriatic arthritis involves inflammatory processes around small patches of skin called psoriasis lesions, which appear red because they’re inflamed and leads to painful swelling around joints like those in your hands or feet.
Allergies, infections, and disorders may be involved in the development of RA
- Rheumatoid arthritis is a complex disease. It’s not just one thing, but many things going on at once. This can make diagnosing or treating your symptoms difficult, and that’s why it’s so important to see a doctor specializing in rheumatology!
- When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system targets the tissues near your joints as though they were foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses (this process is called inflammation). The result: painful joints with swelling, redness, and heat; stiffness; loss of range of motion; pain during movement; decreased mobility over time (as you age); loss of function due to damage to muscle tissue surrounding joints.
Treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis.
Inflammation is a symptom of the chronic illness of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Inflammation can cause pain, joint stiffness, and swelling. The most important step is to consult a doctor like Dr Preeti Narayan, who specializes in managing conditions like this. They can recommend a range of treatment options tailored to the severity of your condition, helping you find relief and improve your quality of life.
There are many treatment options for RA, including anti-inflammatory medications such as corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biologic DMARDs, and others.
Taking into account your symptoms, any additional health conditions, and your general state of health shown in the RA factor test, your doctor will decide what kind of treatment is appropriate for you.