Understanding and Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis: Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that not only affects the joints but can also damage a variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels. It’s an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells, causing inflammation in affected body parts.
Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Diagnosing RA involves several steps, including taking a medical history, performing a physical exam, and ordering laboratory tests and imaging studies like x-rays or ultrasound. During the physical exam, doctors check joints for swelling, redness, and warmth and assess joint movement.

Health Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis

RA can have various health effects:

Eyes: Dryness, pain, inflammation, redness, sensitivity to light, and vision problems.
Mouth: Dryness, gum inflammation, irritation, or infection.
Skin: Rheumatoid nodules — small lumps under the skin over bony areas.
Lungs: Inflammation and scarring leading to shortness of breath and lung disease.
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Although there is no cure for RA, early treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can lead to symptom remission. Medications form an essential part of RA treatment and may include:

NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs relieve pain and, in higher doses, control inflammation.
DMARDs: Help slow the progression of the disease.

There are three general classes of drugs used in RA treatment: NSAIDs, corticosteroids, and DMARDs.

For more information on Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis and treatment, visit the Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic Symptoms and Causes, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Arthritis Foundation, CDC, Arthritis Foundation Treatments, Mayo Clinic Arthritis, and the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.