Tag Archives: rheumatoid arthritis

fighting fatigue rheumatoid arthritis

Fighting the Fatigue of RA

Symptoms ofrheumatoid arthritis (RA)don’t stop at joint pain and swelling. Most people with RA also experience mental and physical exhaustion, a symptom known asfatigue. Studies show that up to 80% of people with RA have at least some sense of feeling run down, and more than 50% have high levels of fatigue.

Terence Starz, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, says the feeling can be described as overwhelming or different from just being tired because it is extreme and seems to come from nowhere. In fact, fatigue may have a greater impact on daily life than pain.

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Arthritis Increases Risk of Heart Attack

Risk of Heart Attack Rises After RA Diagnosis

Generally, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) havehigher levels of inflammation会影响关节以外的其他器官和组织。In fact,people with RA have up to twice the risk of heart diseaseand development of heart failure (especially if they test positive for rheumatoid factor, or RF) than the general population, according to a 2013 Mayo Clinic study published in theAmerican Heart Journal.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares Management Control

Get and Keep Control of Your Rheumatoid Arthritis

When arthritis is active and painful, you have a constant reminder and strong incentive to take your medications. But when your disease is under control, it may be easy to forget a dose or two or you may even be tempted to stop taking your medication altogether. But doing so is not a good idea. The way you are feeling – particularly when you are on medication – is not always an indication of whether there is underlying disease activity. Stopping your medication could cause your disease to flare, resulting in the irreparable joint damage your doctor was aiming to prevent when prescribing medications in the first place.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Remission Obesity

New Research: Obesity May Reduce the Chance of RA Remission by as Much as Half

People withrheumatoid arthritis(RA) who are obese are less likely to achieve disease remission than their non-obese counterparts, according to a meta-analysis published in May in关节炎护理与研究。该综述还发现,肥胖与更高水平的疾病活动性和疼痛有关,这表明超重可能会对风湿性关节炎的总体预后产生负面影响。This meta-analysis supports earlier research, including astudypresented at the 2015 annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.
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Gut Bacteria Microbes Rheumatoid Arthritis

Gut Bacteria: A Potential Game Changer for Rheumatoid Arthritis

You share your body with trillions of microbes – many of them beneficial bacteria living in your intestinal tract. Collectively called the microbiome, these bugs influence health and disease through complex interactions with your immune system. Often, their role is protective, guarding against pathogens and inflammation. But increasingly strong evidence suggests that disruptions in the microbial ecosystem may cause or contribute to many chronic diseases, includingrheumatoid arthritis(RA).

Jose Scher, MD, a rheumatologist at New York University Langone Medical Center, studies the connection between intestinal bugs and arthritis. He thinks the overgrowth of normally benign bacteria calledPrevotella– which are far more abundant in people with untreated RA – may trigger an inflammatory response that targets the joints. It’s also possiblePrevotellacrowds out beneficial bacteria that keep inflammation in check. Either way, Scher is confident there’s a connection between the microbiome and arthritis.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Outcomes Lifestyle

Outlook Brighter For People With Rheumatoid Arthritis

People withrheumatoid arthritis(RA) are likely to have a much better quality of life today than they did two decades ago. Researchers in the Netherlands observed more than 1,100 patients diagnosed with RA between 1990 and 2011. They attribute the gains to earlier diagnosis, more aggressive medications and a greater emphasis on overall well-being. Their findings were published inArthritis Care & Researchin 2014.

Lead author Cecile Overman, a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, says she and her colleagues wanted to determine ifimproved treatmentsover the last 20 years led to better physical and psychological health for RA patients.Continue readingOutlook Brighter For People With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Wounds Rheumatoid Arthritis

Slow-Healing Wounds Common in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Slow-healing wounds, including leg and foot ulcers, are a known complication of several autoimmune inflammatory diseases, includingrheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus and scleroderma. For many people, these wounds can take months or even years to heal.

“People with RA develop wounds for many reasons,” says Eric Matteson, MD, chairman of rheumatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “One is that they may have low-grade vasculitis – inflammation affecting the small blood vessels in the skin. When the wound is related to the underlying systemic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis, not having that inflammation under control makes it much more difficult to achieve good wound healing.”

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