Rhumetoid arthritis FAQ

Rhumetoid arthritis FAQ - what are the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, what medication is available and what rheumatory arthritus relief can I get. The list below is a summary of the most common questions.

What is RA 

Rhumetoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which several organs and systems are attacked by the immune system itself. The most common part attacked is the linings of the joints, the synovium, which gets infiltrated with cells of an inflammatory nature, consisting of macrophages and neutrophils, dendritic and plasma cells and lymphocytes. The interaction of these in the lining of the joint is very complex but a destructive process called rheumatory arthritis.

What are the risk factors

What causes RA

Science does not know for sure what causes rhumitoid arthritis symptoms to develop but new rhuematoid research has shown promising signs and it now seems possible we can eventually find the cause behind the effect.

What are the symptoms of RA

Typical symptoms of rhumatoid arthritis include swollen joints, pain in the joints often starting with the toes. Morning stiffness. Swollen joints - mainly the minor joints (fingers, toes).

How can I prevent RA

Before RA (rhematoid arthritis) has developed, we know of no certain way to prevent it. New research has shown promising results though and it is possible that in the future we will be able to point to certain biochemical factors, work related factors etc.

For patients who have developed rheumatiod arthritis (arthritus), we call it secondary prevention and it focuses on slowing down the progress and providing as much rheumatory arthritis relief as possible. The secondary prevention of RA starts from the asumption that further strain on the joints will worsen the condition and methods are developed to protect the joints from too much load. 

What RA medicines are available 

DMARDs (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs) have had a great impact on the symptoms of RA and the function for a majority of patients with RA. DMARDs include drugs such as Rheumatrex and Folex (based on methotrexate), Arava (leflunomide base), Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine), Auranofin (orally given gold), Myochrisine (intramuscularly given gold). Further drugs are Minocin, Dynacin and Vectrin, Imuran, Sandimmune and Neoral (the latter based on cyclosporine).

What is Enbrel

Enbrel (Embril) is one of a new and very promising class of medicines for rheumatory arthritis. These are the biologic response modifiers, or biologic agents. These drugs will target the parts of the immune system that lead to inflammation and damages to the tissue in RA. With these new drugs, RA will slow down its progression so they are also classed as DMARD's. Enbrel (Embril) is one of the FDA approved RA drugs, others are Humira, Kineret, Remicade, Orencia and Rituxan (the latter based on rituximab).