Enbrel: A Game Changer for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Biologics first made their premier as a treatment option for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) over fifteen years ago, when Enbrel was first introduced. Now it is one of the front runners for treatment of RA. Many studies and articles, such as Palmer’s (2012) article out of the British Journal of Nursing, has shown how beneficial and impactful Enbrel has been as a treatment option. Enbrel.com proclaims how symptoms start to improve in as early as two weeks, with most people seeing improvements within three months, with even more improvements seen by six months. The article by Dhillon, Lyseng-Williamson, and Scott (2011) states that in several well designed trials in patients with early or long-standing
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Enbrel is a prescribed subcutaneous injection that is given weekly. Dosages can be either 25mg per week or 50mg per week. Dosage is determined by the physician based on height, weight, and disease progression. Enbrel as well as other biologic agents have the potential to prevent or reduce joint damage thereby preserving joint integrity and function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (Keating, 2012, p.23). Enbrel act to suppress the overactive immune system that produces the cytokine TNF. By doing this it can slow or stop progression of joint damage and can induce disease remission in some patients. Enbrel was developed on a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and target specific cells, such as TNF, which are responsible for driving the disease process. Enbrel blocks the interaction between TNF and cell surface receptors, thereby inhibiting the effects of TNF. Enbrel provides rapid and sustained reductions in disease activity in both early rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis that is resistant to DMARDs. Enbrel also has a more rapid onset of action than methotrexate. Methotrexate has an onset of action anywhere from four to six weeks where- as with Enbrel the onset of action is two weeks. Despite this vast difference there are important factors that determine if a patient is eligible to take
Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis. RA is a progressive and debilitating musculoskeletal disorder that affects the joints symmetrically, causing a range of systemic effects. What it causes is still not well known; nevertheless, findings of new research points towards a believe that it is triggered by a defective immune system, which causes the release of inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals cause damage to cartilage and bone, usually affecting the wrists, the joints of the hand, including the knuckles, the middle joints of the fingers and feet. While this condition can affect any joints, besides, important body organs such as the eyes and the lungs can also be affected by the inflammation that occurs as a result of this chronic condition. Only in America 1.3 million of people are affected by this ailment, and 75 % of them are mainly women. Its onset usually occurs between fourth and sixth decades; however, RA can occur at any age("Diseases And
In order to establish a treatment, plan it is important to set goals for this patient. In general goals for RA include early recognition and diagnosis, referral to a rheumatologist, and tight control and low disease activity (Cohen & Cannella, 2017). There are also scales that need to be completed by the NP and patient to determine how the treatment is working for a patient. When setting goals, it is important to determine a successful way to evaluate this patients' pain. In the older population it is common for pain to be under treated and part of the cause of this is because the assessment for pain is not matching the patients' needs. Once a successful evaluation has been chosen for this pain it would be important to use this same
In time, I discovered a constantly evolving field, one having made recent advances in biologic agents, thus opening up limitless opportunities for research. Moreover in managing side effects of immunosuppressants/biologic agents that are the mainstay of therapy in rheumatology produced its own set of challenges. These were but a few reasons why rheumatology held me
Too much ambition can be disastrous. The word “ambition”generally has a positive connotation, however, it is not always a positive thing Too much of a “good thing”, in this case ambition, can be catastrophic. Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, and Tim Burton’s film, The Nightmare before Christmas, use characters, conflict, and plot events to convey the universal theme that too much ambition can alter one’s judgement of right and wrong, causing them them to becomes treacherous or deceitful to achieve their goals.
Founded in 1914, Colorado Christian University is now the premier interdenominational Christian college in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region, delivering world class education to thousands of students.
These types of disorders are sometimes treated by using TNF inhibitor. This inhibition is usually done with a monoclonal antibody such as Infliximab, an anti-TNF drug. Infliximab is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis by administering infliximab intravenously, in 6-8 week intervals (The British Pharmacology Society, 2011). Infliximab works by preventing TNF - alpha from binding to its receptors in the cell, as a result inhibiting TNF - alpha from carrying out functions in the immune response. Rheumatoid arthritis, is a disease associated with chronic joint inflammation, severe pain, stiffness, and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the body mistakenly attacks itself, in most cases inflammation is supposed to occur when the body is fighting off an invasion however with this disease, it occurs when the immune system malfunctions and starts to attack itself (Health Union,
use are drugs. The drugs that are used, tend to ease the symptoms and slow R.A. activity. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs include ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen sodium. These are the drugs that tend to ease the pain. Corticosteroids, disease- modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), Biologics, and Jak inhibitors are drugs that tend slow R.A.s activity. Steroids and biologic agents such as Prednisone and adalimumab (Humira) are also recommended and used for people with R.A. All these different drugs are used to try and stop the progression of R.A. Most pharmaceuticals only reduce inflammation and pain. Although there isn't one particular drug at this point that can stop Rheumatoid Arthritis, drugs such as Ibuprofen do help and are considered the top drug that is used to treat inflammation and pain for R.A.
Rheumatoid Arthritis has been subject of numerous studies and researches in the look for a better understanding of how it effects the individuals diagnosed with it. There is a higher incident of females diagnosed with RA than male as well as a relationship with genetic and environmental factors involved. Around one percent of the world population is affected by RA; therefore, diverse studies have been performed to understand how the lives of the diagnosed patients can be impacted by the disease. For example, how RA affects the mobility, safety and activities of daily living in general as well as the development of interventions to better approach RA. On
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by excessive inflammation, particularly in the joints leading to irreversible damage (Contreras-Yáñez, Ponce De León, Cabiedes, Rull-Gabayet, and Pascual-Ramos, 2010). Pain and joint damage leads to limited mobility, decreased function and a reduced quality of life (Elliot, 2008). TNF blockers provide significant improvement in patient outcomes “by reducing pain,
In one study, a randomized trial was conducted in which half of a group of arthritis patients were given 200 mg of Celebrex daily and half were given 1,200 mg of SAM-e joint health supplements daily over the course of 16 weeks. The study found that the Celebrex group showed far more pain reduction during the first month than the SAM-e group, but by the second month, both groups showed an equal and significant lessening of pain. The research concluded that although slower-acting, SAM-e joint health supplements are just as effective as Celebrex for osteoarthritis-related knee
One review (7) researches studies conducted on Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), a medication commonly used in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. DMARDs work to prevent or reduce joint damage, decrease pain and inflammation, and to preserve the structure and function of joints in the body (8). Other anti-inflammatory drugs or pain relieving medications, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, are often given to provide a faster relief of symptoms caused by rheumatoid arthritis (8). However, DMARDs are commonly used in combination with these pain relievers as a way to prevent damage to joints (8). The most common DMARD that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis is methotrexate (9). It has been proven that early therapeutic intervention using methotrexate not only improves clinical outcome, but reduces the amount of joint damage and disability as well (9). The typical dose of Methotrexate is around 10-25 mg per week (10). Methotrexate can be taken orally or as an injection. However I would
Huston states,” Joints are extremely damaged and the only thing that will help the pain at this point is replacing the joints.” She applies cold therapy to reduce pain in the joints and does range of motion three times. RA treatment includes disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs, and biologic therapy (Walker, 2012). Physician uses DMARDs as a common treatment for patient who just got diagnosis of RA, and the drugs have side effect that nurses need to educate patient about (Firth, 2012). Biologic drugs are another RA treatment available for patient. Biologic drugs are very expensive and their main target are cells, molecules, B-cell, and tumor necrosis that start the disease process. Hot and cold packs are common treatment used to reduce inflammation and allow client to complete their task, and move around (Walker,
Since the beginning of time, women have been considered the weaker sex. During the nineteenth century, women were considered illogical and vulnerable. Women could not partake in employment opportunities and they could not vote. Men believed that women were the mentally and physically insuperior gender, therefore women were not considered equal to men. In opposition to this exhausted belief, women are now seen as strong and influential individuals. In modern time, females have the rights of voting, attaining jobs, and living the same traditional lives that the majority of males have always pursued. In the short story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, one can see how Georgiana can be considered a submissive, passive, and dependent wife to Aylmer. Georgiana was the epitome of an average nineteenth century woman and followed the rules that society had laid for all matrons. Additionally, Georgiana was a dedicated wife who yearned to please her husband. Aylmer was the dominant and outspoken figure in their household whilst Georgiana was the meek and accommodating shadow. Therefore, according to nineteenth century standards, Georgiana succeeds as a wife to Aylmer.
The consensus recommendation of the expert panel is that “treatment of people with arthritis should include an initial comprehensive pain assessment and ongoing assessment of pain and functional status to identify, implement, and
Arthritis is a joint disorder, which affects one or several joints in the body. The condition has more than one hundred types of diseases with osteoarthritis being the most common. Osteoarthritis results from joint infection, or age. Patients that suffer from arthritis complain about pain in the joints. In most cases, the pain remains constant in the affected joint. It is worth noting, “The pain from arthritis is due to inflammation that occurs around the joint, damage to the joint from disease, daily wear and tear of joint, muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff painful joints and fatigue” (Reid, Shengelia & Parker, 2012, p. 40). However, joint pain could result from various diseases, and in such