Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes And Treatment by Jane Thurnell-Read

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition and symptoms include chronic inflammation of the joints. The incidence of RA is typically two to three times higher in women than men, with the highest levels being for people in their sixties.

The vast majority of people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis experience fluctuating levels of illness, with periods of remission before new flare ups begin. Other sufferers have a progressive and steadily worsening condition. Some sufferers do eventually experience permanent remission without doing anything specific to treat their RA.

Diagnosis Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

is based on clinical observation (e.g., number of joints affected), laboratory tests (e.g., positive rheumatoid factor), and radiographic examination (e.g., X-rays evidence of joint erosion).

Risk Factors Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

is no conclusive and widely agreed understanding of the causes of rheumatoid arthritis.  Rheumatoid arthritis clearly does run in some families, suggesting a genetic input into disease onset. Many RA sufferers report the onset of the disease occurred after an infection, although no infective agent has been specifically identified as contributing to or causing the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. Some people report RA occurring after vaccination too.

Some studies have shown that a history of smoking increases your risk of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

There has been a lot of interest in the role of hormones in the onset of rheumatoid arthritis because of the higher incidence in women than in men:

• Oral contraceptives(OC): Early studies found a decreased risk of RA among women who had ever used OCs, but this relationship has not been confirmed in recent studies. It is also not clear whether this gives a lifelong protection from the disease – an important consideration when the disease rate is known to peak in women in their sixties.
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT): There is mixed evidence of an association between HRT and RA onset.
• Live birth history: Most studies have found that women who have never had a live birth have a slight to moderately increased risk of RA.
• Breastfeeding : The most recent studies have found that RA is less common among women who breastfeed; this is in contrast with earlier studies which found an increased risk associated with breastfeeding.

Conventional Treatment Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The main conventional treatment for rheumatoid arthritis has been  corticosteroids/non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If this does not work or only work initially, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) are used. If the sufferer does not respond to either of these drugs biologic response modifiers (BRM) are likely to be tried. But now some authorities are advocating that sufferers should be given DMARDs within three months of diagnosis. 

Natural Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Diet may play a part in helping to minimise the effect of rheumatoid arthritis. Some nutrition supplements have also been found to be beneficial in some cases:

• Flax seed Oil: helps reduce the inflammatory response of the body and keep joints mobile
• Glucosamine; Glucosamine is essential for maintaining healthy cartilage, the smooth tissue that lines joints. Unfornuatley some people do not produce enough of this important nutrient themselves. There are no major food sources, except for crabs, oysters and the shells of prawns. Glucosamine is not a pain killer; it works to repair the joints in a natural way.
• Vitamins C and E may help to protect the cells from damage.

Natural creams applied to sore joints may help too.

Further Information On Rheumatoid Arthritis:

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (UK) 

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US)

Copyright 2009 Jane Thurnell-Read | Get a different health and happiness tip delivered to your inbox every day.