What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a rheumatic disease that can result in the development of disability when chronic, progressive and disease activity, which is mostly holding small joints such as hand and foot joints, symmetrically, is not controlled by drugs. It can not only hold small joint involvement, but also large joints such as knees, hips and shoulders. It is one of the most common inflammatory diseases in the world and is one of the rheumatisms that cause the most destruction and deformity of the joints.  In the treatment of RA, the patient's knowledge of the disease may be useful in slowing down the deformities that may develop.
In RA, the joints held when patients get out of bed in the morning are more painful, and especially the joints held are notable for morning stiffness; however, pain and limitation decrease later in the day. Patients wake up from sleep at night due to pain.
Who has rheumatoid arthritis?
It is usually the disease of young-middle-aged adults and is 3 times more common in women than in men.
What is the cause of rheumatoid arthritis?
The exact cause of RA is not known. Genetic factors play an important role in the causes of the disease. Apart from genetic causes, various environmental factors, especially infectious agents, are thought to contribute to the development of the disease.
How is rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed?
Although the symptoms of the patients vary from person to person, there will be increased heat, swelling, tenderness, redness and pain in the joints held in the most important part of the patients. Especially in the morning hours, difficulty in joint movements,stiffness can be felt. It holds small joints, especially hands and toes, symmetrically, i.e. mutually. RA should come to mind when symmetrical arthritis is seen in small joints such as hand and foot joints that last more than 6 weeks. In laboratory tests, sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein may be high as a disease activity indicator. RF and anti-CCP autoantibodies (+) can be detected. X-rays of the joints may not show early signs. Radiological findings may be seen in the advanced stages of the disease. Sedim, CRP, RF and anti-CCP are important in ra diagnosis from physical examination and laboratory tests.
How to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Early diagnosis and treatment slow down the progression of the disease and are very important in preventing disability due to mobility limitation. However, it is not possible to fully recover from the disease. The goal in the treatment of the disease is to reduce the activity of the disease or to provide remission. Treatment is planned for the patient; in this case, the severity of the disease, accompanying health problems and individual needs are prioritized. Rest of the relevant joints is recommended, especially during acute flaming periods. Apart from the acute period, balanced exercises benefit the patient when the patient is feeling well. Anti-inflammatory rheumatic drugs are used to suppress disease activity. Anti-TNF alpha therapy (biological agent therapy), which is one of the current treatment methods and applied in our country, is effective drugs in stopping the progression of the disease. Since the activity of the disease is fast in smokers, it is important to stop smoking.
How should disease monitoring and follow-up be done?
It should be remembered that the disease is continuous and the effectiveness of treatment should be monitored with regular checks. Deformities appear faster in patients who are untraceable for a long time. Therefore, the more important early diagnosis and treatment is, the more important it is to carry out follow-ups regularly. Your doctor will call you for regular check-ups and your disease activity will be evaluated. As a result of the evaluations, it may be necessary to add and remove drugs in your treatment. Both your disease activity is tried to be controlled and the drugs are evaluated for side effects. Since RA is a chronic disease, treatment lasts a lifetime and requires regular follow-up.