What is Rheumatoid arthritis?

Genetics
Rheumatoid arthritis develops because of a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as smoking and diet. It is unclear what the genetic link is, but it is thought that having a relative with the condition increases your chance of developing the condition.

Weight
If you are overweight, you have a significantly greater chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis than if you are a healthy weight.

Smoking
Cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of developing RA.

Diet
There is some evidence that if you eat a lot of red meat and don’t consume much vitamin C, you may have an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

In the early stages, people with RA may not initially see redness or swelling in the joints, also tenderness and pain.

These following joint symptoms are to RA:

Joint pain, tenderness, swelling or stiffness for six weeks or longer

Morning stiffness for 30 minutes or longer,fatigue,loss of appetite,low grade fever

More than one joint is affected

Small joints (wrists, certain joints of the hands and feet) are affected

The same joints on both sides of the body are affected

RA can affect organs and body systems:

Eyes. Dryness, pain, redness, sensitivity to light and impaired vision

Mouth. Dryness and gum irritation or infection

Skin. Rheumatoid nodules – small lumps under the skin over bony areas

Blood Vessels. Inflammation of blood vessels that can lead to damage in the nerves, skin and other organs

Blood. Anemia, a lower number of red blood cells

Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis

No laboratory tests are specific for diagnosis RA. However some of the tests available are specific.

1. Serological tests

• Rheumatoid factors
• Antinuclear antibodies
• Antiphospholipid antibodies
• Antineutrophil antibodies
• Non-toxic

2. Radiographs

• X’ – rays
• Ultra sound
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Antineutrophil antibodies
• Non-toxic

3. Synovial fluid analysis

4. Physical examination

To check for swelling, redness,tenderness,warmth and painful or limited movement .may also check your reflexes and muscle strength

To monitor disease activities :-

• ESR
• Plasma viscosity or acute phage proteins (e.g. CRP)
• Haemoglobin
• Haematology

GENERAL TREATMENT

There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. But clinical studies indicate that remission of symptoms is more likely when treatment begins early with medications known as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Medications

The types of medications recommended by your doctor will depend on the severity of your symptoms and how long you've had rheumatoid arthritis.

NSAIDs.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve pain and reduce inflammation.NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) Side effects may include stomach irritation, heart problems and kidney damage.

Steroids.
Corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone, reduce inflammation and pain and slow joint damage. Side effects may include thinning of bones, weight gain and diabetes.

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Common DMARDs include methotrexate (Trexall, Otrexup, others), leflunomide (Arava), hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) and sulfasalazine (Azulfidine).

Side effects include liver damage, bone marrow suppression and severe lung infections.

Biologic agents.
Also known as biologic response modifiers, this newer class of DMARDs includes abatacept (Orencia), adalimumab (Humira), golimumab (Simponi), infliximab (Remicade), rituximab (Rituxan), sarilumab (Kevzara), tocilizumab (Actemra) and tofacitinib (Xeljanz).

These drugs can target parts of the immune system that trigger inflammation that causes joint and tissue damage. These types of drugs also increase the risk of infections. In people with rheumatoid arthritis, higher doses of tofacitinib can increase the risk of blood clots in the lungs.

Painkillers
Painkillers can help to relieve the pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis, but should not be the only treatment used.

Surgery
If medications fail to prevent or slow joint damage, surgery may help restore your ability to use your joint. It can also reduce pain and improve function.Rheumatoid arthritis surgery may involve one or more of the following procedures:

Synovectomy
Surgery to remove the inflamed lining of the joint(synovium) can be performed on knees, elbows, wrists, fingers and hips.

Tendon repair
Inflammation and joint damage may cause tendons around your joint to loosen or rupture. Your surgeon may be able to repair the tendons around your joint.

Joint fusion
Surgically fusing a joint may be recommended to stabilize or realign a joint and for pain relief when a joint replacement isn't an option.

Total joint replacement
During surgery, your surgeon removes the damaged parts of your joint and inserts a prosthesis made of metal and plastic.

Surgery carries a risk of bleeding, infection and pain.

Treatment At Nanolife

AAMAHARA is the medicine given at NANOLIFE FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

How AAMAHARA would help them?

AAMAHARA contains Proprietary Biocompatible Gold Nanoparticles developed through innovative Green Nanotechnology. It is intended to provide relief to Arthritis patients from:

• Joint pain
• Swelling around the joint
• Joint stiffness
• Numbness and decreased range of motion

How is Arthritis Treated @ NanoLife Speciality Medical Center

AAMAHARA that is used to treat Arthritis in our Speciality Medical Centre is uniquely crafted through combinations of natural products including Boswellia& Curcumin to afford anti-inflammatory features naturally.

This product is a healthy and effective alternative to painkillers. It has the unique potential to inhibit the inflammation-causing COX-2 while maintaining healthy levels of COX-1.