Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Paper

The goals for management are to reduce joint pain and stiffness, maintain and improve joint mobility, improve muscle strength, limit subsequent joint damage and improve quality of life. Conservative treatment may include rest, range-of-motion exercises, use of assistive device to decrease weight-bearing, weight loss and glucosamine. Pharmacological treatment may include analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs or intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (Ng, Heesch & Brown 2012). Alternative therapy includes acupuncture or magnetic bracelets. Surgical treatment includes artificial implants to create new joints, correction of a deformity or misalignment, and improvement of joint movement (McCance, Huether, Brashers, & Rote, 2010). The Osteoarthritis Research Society International (ORSI) has an extensive list of recommendations to manage OA that emphasizes weight reduction in the obese, exercise and educating patients (ORSI,

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

Long-term conditions (LTC) are defined as “any ongoing, long-term or recurring condition that can have a significant impact on people’s lives” (National Health Committee NHC, 2007, p. 116). Two out of three adults within NZ have or have had a LTC, resulting in the most prominent cause for hospital admissions, premature deaths and an increase in health expenditure (Auckland District Health Board, 2013). This assignment will cover Olivia’s (pseudo name) experience of living with a LTC and how this has impacted her life. A reflection on learning about LTC will be included as well as a discussion on the implications I may encounter in my future practice when caring for a LTC patient will conclude the assignment.

Today in the United States there is an estimated 1.3 million people living and dealing with rheumatoid arthritis (Arthritis Foundation). One might ask, what exactly is rheumatoid arthritis? Well, rheumatoid arthritis, also commonly known as RA, is a form of inflammatory disease and an autoimmune disease. If the person is a minor, or below the age of six-teen, then the chronic disease can also go by the name of juvenile arthritis. The juvenile arthritis is, “Defined as chronic inflammation of the synovial joints, with unknown etiology, which starts before the age of sixteen and persists for at least six weeks” (Hink et al 1). This disease can affect anyone with a functioning immune system. Out of the 1.3 million people in the United States that have rheumatoid arthritis, 70% of that number is women (RA.com). Once again there are no certain reasons as to who receives this disease whether its children, elders, Caucasians, African Americans, etc. But once they do receive the illness, then it affects them immensely. “The disease is systemic, meaning it can occur throughout the whole body. It’s a chronic disease, so it can’t be cured” (Arthritis Foundation). The pain, stiffness and fatigue can affect the entire body. “RA occurs when your immune system, the system that protects your body from outside harm, mistakenly starts attacking healthy tissue” (RA.com). Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable disease that is affecting

Tai Chi will help you increase your flexibility, improve your balance and strengthen your muscles, which is especially important to those with rheumatoid conditions. You can learn Tai Chi online, from DVD's or you might have a local Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA chapter you could attend. The same goes for yoga, both can be learned on your own or you can choose to join a local yoga

It is very important to know how to cope with and manage symptoms of RA. For example, my family member who went through the experiences of RA, and developed depression when she found out she has to take multiple medications, which had dangerous symptoms. She has gotten better over time, but that is only with the help and support of family and close friends. One way to manage the symptoms of RA was continuing to do things she enjoyed. In other words, the symptoms of RA cause stress and it is important that patients stay mentally positive. By doing activities a person loves, people will “feel good,” and be optimistic about life, and managing the symptoms of RA. Therefore, it is important to have the support of family and friends when dealing Rheumatoid Arthritis

My mom having Rheumatoid Arthritis was both the best and worse thing to happen to her and I . It brought us closer to the end of it all.

As rheumatoid arthritis (RA) advance, it affect a person’s lifestyle, job, family role, activity of daily living, and it can also cause a person to be become depressed because they cannot do things they are able to do before they were diagnosed. RA occurs at any age and it is mostly common in women who ages 40-60 years (Jennie Walker, 2012). RA impacts the whole system in the body including lungs, heart, eyes, and result in an increase cardiovascular risk (Jill Firth, 2012). Rheumatoid arthritis also affects small and larger joints such as hands, feet, (small joints) knee, wrist, ankles, and shoulders (Walker, 2012). RA patient feels fatigue, weight loss, dry eye, and mouth (Firth, 2012). Physical therapist needs to encourage RA

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that is characterized by inflammation of the peripheral joints, but it may also involve the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. The prevalence of this autoimmune disease is between 0.3% to 1.5% of the population in the United States (Feinberg, pp 815). It affects women two to three times more often than men, and the onset of RA is usually between 25 and 50 years of age, but it can occur at any age (Reed, pp 584). RA can be diagnosed by establishing the presence of persistent joint pain, swelling in a symmetric distribution, and prolonged morning stiffness. RA usually affects multiple joints, such as the hands, wrists, knees, elbows, feet, shoulders, hips, and small hand joints. RA is

One of the main methods of non-medicinal relief of osteoarthritis pain is exercise. While this may seem counterintuitive since moving often causes pain, exercising strengthens the muscles around the joints which can alleviate pressure and pain. Further, exercise can lead to weight loss. Many seniors who suffer from osteoarthritis are overweight. Each extra pound the

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that affects mostly joints, but can also spread to or affect vital organs such as the eyes, lungs, heart, and others. The disease is treatable to a degree, and if caught in early stages it can be easy to reduce inflammation and swelling in the afflicted areas. After reading this paper one should expect to better understand the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, causes of the disease, possible treatments, and ways to help prevent it. Nearly one and a half million (1,500,000) people in the United States are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, and three times as many women have the disease as men.

A patient living with rheumatoid arthritis has a very challenging day. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a form of arthritis that produce pain, swelling, stiffness, redness, tenderness, and deformity of many joints of the body. For patients with this illness, each day’s activities can present many challenges. The simplest activities, which are taken for granted, can pose a significant obstacle for a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. Most people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) lead highly productive, full, and satisfying lives. It has subsisted that two to three million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, and about 200,000 people are newly diagnosed each year. Therefore, about 1 percent of

Lose weight. Every pound that your joints have to support increases the stress on them. When you lose even a small amount of weight, your joint pain may decrease dramatically.

My informant has rheumatoid arthritis. RA is an autoimmune disease. A faulty immune system triggers it. It is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis with 1.3 million adults in America having RA. From the author’s understanding, RA is a chronic, long-term, disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limited motion and function of many joints. While RA can affect any joint, the small joints in the hands and feet tend to be involved most repeatedly. Inflammation sometimes can affect organs as well; for some people this occurs in the eyes or lungs. The stiffness seen in active RA is most often worst in the morning. It may last one to two hours, or even the whole day. Stiffness for a long time in the morning is a clue that an individual may have RA, since few other arthritic diseases behave this same way. Other signs and symptoms that can occur in RA include: 1oss of energy,

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic, erosive polyarthritis and the presence of numerous autoantibodies in the serum and synovial fluid and membrane. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease that manifests in multiple joints of the body. The inflammation leads to erosions in the cartilage and bone and can cause joint deformity. Individuals with RA often experience pain and swelling of the joints. It was estimated in 2005 that 1.5 million people in the United States were afflicted with RA. There are three times as many women than men affected with RA (CDC, 2015).