...Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition also can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels. An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body's tissues. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well. While new types of medications have improved treatment options dramatically, severe rheumatoid arthritis can still cause physical disabilities. Symptoms & causes. March 18, 2016 Print Share on: Facebook Twitter References RelatedEase rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in the morning Rheumatoid arthritis: Can it affect the lungs? Tips for coping with rheumatoid arthritis Care for your lawn and garden without hurting your joints Living a full life with rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis and exercise Is depression a factor in rheumatoid arthritis? Who gets rheumatoid arthritis? How can I decrease the fatigue of rheumatoid arthritis? Limit rheumatoid arthritis pain when you grocery shop Rheumatoid arthritis: Which joints are most commonly affected? Rheumatoid arthritis...
Words: 425 - Pages: 2
...Introduction to Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that can change a course of a person’s life. During the last decade there has been significant changes and progress that has been made to treat rheumatoid arthritis. These treatment advances have played a major role in slowing the progression of the disease, and improving quality of life. It is a progressive and painful condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, especially a thin membrane that lines the joints called the synovium. It is disease that can have a devastating effect on a person, and it is really necessary for health care workers to recognize its symptoms, provide education and give treatment to slow down the progression of this distressing disease. The article Nursing Considerations for Infusions Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Verus Malignancy by Nicole Furfaro and Philip J. Mease was published in 2008 in the Journal of Infusion Nursing. The article is about the different treatment available for rheumatoid arthritis especially the drug rituximab. It discusses the effects of the medication and important factors infusion nurses need to monitor and be aware of while administering this drug. Another article Treatment of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis by Karim Raza, Mike Salmon and Christopher Buckley was published in 2005 in the Journal Therapy. This article discusses the importance of early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and compares different studies...
Words: 1355 - Pages: 6
...The cause of the disorder Jasmine Ray Westwood (MA) Rough Draft Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term form of inflammatory arthritis of the joints in addition to surrounding tissues. This can also affect the organs. This is resulting in painful immobility, in the fingers, wrists, feet, and ankles. The immune system is designed towards protecting our well-being by attacking foreign cells like viruses and bacteria. Instead it attacks the body’s own tissues, a thin membrane that lines the joints. RA is a chronic disease meaning it can’t be cured. In some individuals the disorder is continuously active and gets worse over time. Others have long periods of remission. The cause of the disorder The cause of RA is still unknown. Infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi have long been suspected, none has been proven as the cause. What happen is the white blood cells over react to stimuli inside the body. Instead of protecting the body like it normally do from disease or infection, the immune system attacks and destroys the body’s tissues that are healthy. This chronic inflammatory condition that also effects other tissue. Autoimmune diseases often run in families many may develop different type of autoimmune disease. This genetic difference puts related family members at an increased risk for one or more autoimmune diseases. RA often improves during pregnancy. Certain proteins passed between the mother and unborn child may be responsible...
Words: 901 - Pages: 4
...Bridget Acosta Anatomy and Physiology RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS * INTRODUCTION Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that exerts its greatest impact on those joints of the body that are lined with synovium, a specialized tissue responsible for maintaining the nutrition and lubrication of the joint. The distribution of joints affected (synovial joints) is characteristic. It typically affects the small joints of the hands and the feet, and usually both sides equally in a symmetrical distribution, though any synovial joint can be affected. In patients with established and aggressive disease, most joints will be affected over time. Joint inflammation is characterized by redness, warmth, swelling, and pain within the joint. In addition to affecting the joints, rheumatoid arthritis may occasionally affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, or nerves. * SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS The initial trigger for RA is unknown. There is evidence to suggest abnormalities in components of the immune system that lead to the body developing abnormal immune and inflammatory reactions, particularly in joints. These changes may precede the symptomatic onset of RA by many years. Whatever sets the pathology in motion results in a large increase in blood flow to the joint (giving heat and sometimes redness), proliferation of the synovial membrane with an increase in synovial fluid (swelling), and pain (due to stretching of pain receptors in the soft tissues around, and the bone...
Words: 2531 - Pages: 11
...Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. Rhematiod arthritis can also cause inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses which occur when the body tissues are mistakenly attacked by its own immune system. The immune system is a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally to "seek and destroy" invaders of the body, particularly infections. Patients with these diseases have antibodies in their blood which target their own body tissues, where they can be associated with inflammation. Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease. While rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness, meaning it can last for years, patients may experience long periods without symptoms. Typically, however, rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive illness that has the potential to cause joint destruction and functional disability. A joint is where two bones meet to allow movement of body parts. Arthritis means join inflammation. The join inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis causes swelling, pain ,stiffness, and redness in the joints. The inflammation of rheumatoid disease can also occur in tissues around the joints, such as the tendons, ligaments, and muscles. In some patienst with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammation leads to the destruction of the...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...40904000. There are many different types of Arthritis. Some of these types are caused by infections, some by injury, some by aging, and some by entirely unknown causes. Infectious arthritis may follow influenza, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, syphilis or gonorrhea. Arthritis of an unknown cause is common and Rheumatoid arthritis is the worst form. Chronic arthritis is common. It has three main forms: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory condition of one or more joints the main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. This is the most common form of arthritis. This disease is known as a degenerative joint disease. It affects about 80% of all Americans. The pain is caused by the degeneration of the joint. The damage to the cartilage occurs as the disease progresses and degenerates and may form some bony spurs at the end of the bones. The bones may grind against each other. Cartilage normally serves as a shock-absorbing cushion between the bones. When it breaks down it results in bones rubbing directly against one another during movement. This friction between the bones causes the bone to thicken, and spurs develop .As time goes on; these abrasions can cause permanent joint damage. Osteoarthritis is most common in the knees, hips, hands and spine. Rheumatoid arthritis is the worst form arthritis. It is a chronic autoimmune disease which affects the connective tissue and joints. This disease...
Words: 853 - Pages: 4
...Osteoarthritis is a degenerative arthritis, a condition in which joint cartilage breaks down. New tissue, which grows at the ends of bones, now has no cartilage cap to control it. Instead, this new bone forms into strange lips and spurs that grind and grate and get in the way of movement of the joint. Osteoarthritis is common in older people after years of wear-and-tear that thin the cartilage and the bones. Osteoarthritis can also result from diseases in which there is softening of the bone, like Paget's disease in which the long bones of the body curve like a bow, or osteoporosis with its bowing of the shoulder called "dowager's hump," or the breakdown of other bones. Other forms of arthritis can also cause a secondary osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is not an inevitable problem of aging. Those who don't suffer from it may have their heredity and possibly the strength of their immune systems to thank. Medical science is not quite sure of all the factors that come into play in deciding who gets osteoarthritis and who doesn't. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis. It is second only to osteoarthritis in the number of its victims. It affects primarily the small joints in the hands and feet and the synovium, causing crippling deformities. This is an arthritis that usually starts in middle age or earlier. Estimates of the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis run as high as one person in every hundred, and females are two to three times as likely to suffer from it. It seems...
Words: 1621 - Pages: 7
... 6. Submit your document by the due date listed in your syllabus. Submission should be through the ASUN Portal. Upload your completed document—make sure the file you upload and mark as final has your answers typed in it! Note: You must UPLOAD the document and MARK AS FINAL for it to be properly “turned in” through the Portal. 7. Participate in the Class Discussions of this Case Study—this will be completed on the Discussion Forums page within the ASUN Portal. 8. Email me if you have any questions. The Skeletal System - Aging and Disease The skeletal system is required for nearly every body movement. It also supports the body at rest, protects vital organs, and produces blood cells. However, like any other system, it is susceptible to disease. Different diseases become more (or less) likely as the body ages. A few common diseases include scoliosis, arthritis, and osteoporosis Scoliosis Scoliosis is defined as an “s” or “c” shaped spinal curvature. It is most often diagnosed during adolescence, partially due puberty, a biological time period which causes abnormal growth spurts to the skeletal system. Pre-existing conditions such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy may contribute to scoliosis, although the primary cause remains to be identified. Typically, scoliosis is formally diagnosed after an x-ray examining the spinal column has been performed. Children may require additional...
Words: 924 - Pages: 4
...Human NutritionProfessor Chitra Wendakoon | Rheumatoid Arthritis | By Daniel Schramm | Schramm 2/24/2013 | What is Rheumatoid Arthritis? Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that we do not get from a virus or human contact. The disease is our own body’s immune system turned against its self. Your immune system is an assembly of cells and organs intended to safeguard your body from external intruders. Your structure comprises the spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils, bone marrow and white blood cells. All these work collectively to fight off germs and infections that can harm you or make you sick. When your immune system is not working properly, it sees your own body as an enemy which it attacks, therefore generating a potential illness with an auto immune disease such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). There are several types of auto immune diseases that can upset the body; more notably, the heart, lungs kidneys, brain as well as the joints. Since the 1930′s researchers have been exploring the link between diet and arthritis. We continue to hear claims that special diets, foods and supplements may help to cure or alleviate symptoms of arthritis, but most claims are unproven. Many experts speculate that claims of nutritional remedies and cures with food or dietary supplements are related to the “placebo affect”. The placebo effect is the patient’s perception of improved symptoms and well-being, resulting from new therapy, regardless of evidence for actual...
Words: 1986 - Pages: 8
...Arthritis is broadly defined as painful inflammation of the joints, however there are approximately 100 different types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is the most chronic joint condition and affects approximately 33 million people. It results from the overuse of joints, is associated with aging, may be the consequence of demanding sports where may be injured, or obesity (Guilak, 2011). Osteoarthritis is most common in joints that bear weight, such as the spine, hips, knees and feet. Symptoms associated with osteoarthritis are localized pain while symptoms such as feeling ill and fatigue or tiredness are typically not present as other...
Words: 846 - Pages: 4
... ZIP Code Phone (704) 555-0125 Fax (704) 555-0145 Web site address Hold on… The body attacks itself? it’s a Thriller!! Hold on… The body attacks itself? it’s a Thriller!! Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Rheumatoid Arthritis Date of publication Rheumatoid Arthritis Date of publication WHAt is Rheumatoid Arthritis?? Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is a form of inflammatory arthritis and also an autoimmune disease. This means that it’s the body own defense is attacking none other than itself; this includes tissues and joints. There is NO KNOWN real reason this happens; it just does. RA is a chronic disease, meaning it’s incurable. Signs and symptoms The symptoms and route rheumatoid arthritis could take can vary from person to person and can change at a moments notice. Your joints all over your body may feel warm to the touch. You might even notice a decreased range of motion. Other symptoms may include inflammation, swelling and/or pain in the areas around the affected joints. RA is symmetrical; this means that if a joint on one side of your body is affected, the same joint on the other side of the body is also involved. Long-Term effects RA may affect many different joints and cause damage to cartilage, tendons and ligaments. This ends up causing joint deformity and disability. Also as time lapses, the inflammation that characterizes RA can also affect numerous organs and internal systems. Who gets it???? It is estimated that over 1...
Words: 530 - Pages: 3
...JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS Kevin Weller Kaplan University College Composition II CM220 Prof: Diana Gerow August 26, 2012 JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS There is currently no known cause and no cure for Juvenile Arthritis, so it is my goal to raise awareness for those in the community that are not aware that children can get arthritis. Many people believe that arthritis only affects older people or those who have worked hard and abused their body over many years. Children still need support to remain active to try and beat the pain and stiffness they are dealing with daily and the community is also important to help support the efforts to find a cure and help those currently impacted with the disease. Juvenile arthritis affects children under the age of 16. JRA can show up overnight and blood tests cannot determine if a child has arthritis. There is currently no cause or cure for this disease that affects 50,000 children in the United States. JRA is often misunderstood or mistaken for other conditions, and thus parents need to learn the signs of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, how to find appropriate medical intervention, and what best practices they can use at home. Juvenile Arthritis is an inflammatory condition that develops in children ages 16 years and younger. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is the most common type and there is no known cause although hereditary seems to play a part. Arthritis affects approximately 1 out of every 100,000 children mildly and...
Words: 939 - Pages: 4
...Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a musculoskeletal and autoimmune disease, which causes the body’s immune system to target and attack primarily its own joints and joint linings (Brodwin, Tellez, & Brodwin, 2009, p. 124). Since RA is a systematic disease, it affects the body as a whole, and is not limited only to joints. The inflammation and pain can spread from the joints, into the cartilage, connective tissue, and ultimately into adjacent organs (Cush, Kavanaugh, & Stein, 2005, p. 323). After the initial diagnosis of RA, there are three classifications that RA can develop into. The first is called Monocyclic RA, which means that an individual is afflicted with a single episode of inflammation, lasting up to five years, and then enters remission....
Words: 3314 - Pages: 14
...Rheumatoid Arthritis is a progressive autoimmune disease. The cause is not known. It is an incurable disease. This disease has flareups and remissions stages. Different factors can cause the flare ups such as stress or environmental factors. The affected joints do not have to be symmetrical. Lots of different joints all over the body can be affected. Mostly the smaller joints, such as the knees, feet, hands which has warmth, erythema and swelling. An autoimmune disease means the body is attacking itself. If the body doesn’t recognize itself the immune system starts to attack the lining of the joints or what is called the Synovial membrane when the immune system is in overactive state. When the body attacks itself it damages the connective tissue. This...
Words: 519 - Pages: 3
...Rheumatoid Arthritis or “RA” is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body tissues. This disease affects the lining of joints causing pain and swelling. Eventually the swelling can lead to bone erosion and joint deformity. RA can happen to anyone at any age, but the majority of people who have to endure this disease are women over the age of 40. Pathophysiology Rheumatoid Arthritis is a joint attacking disease, but RA can attack any organ in the body. There is no unique test to diagnose RA, doctors look at signs and symptoms of the patient. Infectious agents have long been suspected as potential triggers of RA. Some external triggers, such as smoking, infection, or trauma could even affect the joints. Even though the cause of RA is unknown, these triggers may be a slight cause when diagnosing RA. Ultimately, inflammation and exuberant proliferation of the synovium leads to destruction of various tissues, including cartilage, bone, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Destruction of these lead to very painful joints. Clinical Manifestation Since there is no test to diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis, doctors look at signs and symptoms. They usually include fatigue, malaise, generalized stiffness, and generalized arthralgias or myalgias. (Rheumatoid Arthritis. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, October 14). Patients often complain of morning stiffness when having RA. This stiffness can also be called, gelling. The severity of symptoms can vary from...
Words: 660 - Pages: 3
