Whelehans pharmacy rheumatoid arthritis part 1
Eamonn Brady is a pharmacist and the owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, Pearse St, Mullingar. If you have any health questions e-mail them to info@whelehans.ie
Arthritis is a general term used for the condition; however there are over 100 types of arthritis. The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is one of the most debilitating forms of the condition.
Symptoms can initially develop quite slowly and can occur either as a single episode of stiff and painful joints which may last some months. In some people it can develop quickly with some people literally “waking up with severely swollen, stiff and painful joints”.
Often it starts with the small bones of the hands and feet with discomfort and some swelling often being the first symptoms. Stiffness, especially in the morning is a classic symptom of RA, this stiffness often reduces during the day (for osteoarthritis, the symptoms tend to get worse as the day goes on). The hands, wrists, feet, ankles and knees are affected in over 80% of cases.
It can be difficult to diagnose RA because many other conditions may make the joints painful. Symptoms are a good indicator of the condition. However X rays of joints and blood tests such as testing for the presence of a “rheumatoid factor” or an “anti-CCP antibody” can be more conclusive in diagnosing the condition.
Doctors consider if you have four are more of the following symptoms, you are likely to have RA:
1. Morning stiffness in affected joints lasting at least one hour
2. Soft tissue swelling of at least 3 joint areas
3. Swelling of finger, hand, or wrist joints
4. Symmetrical swelling (ie) equal both sides
5. Rheumatoid nodules (fleshy lumps that usually appear on hands, feet and elbows)
6. Presence of rheumatoid factor (rheumatoid factor is an auto-antibody which shows up in blood tests and it an indicator of arthritis)
7. Erosion of bone which shows up in X-rays, particularly in hand, wrist or feet joints
Other symptoms
Up to 30% of patients may present with non-arthritis type symptoms without obvious joint swelling such as malaise (general feeling of being unwell), weight loss and myalgia (muscle pain).Depression can be a feature of RA. RA is thought to be associated with an increased rate of heart disease and there is evidence of an increased mortality rate from heart related problems in RA patients.
The exact cause is unknown but there is a genetic link as RA tends to run in families. RA is three times more common in women than in men. It's common for the symptoms of RA to improve during pregnancy - this suggests that hormones and the immune system may be involved in triggering the condition. Certain lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking can be factors.
The risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis being almost twice as high in smokers compared to non-smokers.For reasons unknown, RA onset is twice as common in winter than in other seasons.
Upcoming Rheumatoid Arthritis Talk
Whelehans Pharmacy in conjunction with Arthritis Ireland (Westmeath Branch) is hosting a Rheumatoid Arthritis Information evening on Tuesday April 28th at 7pm in the Greville Arms Hotel in Mullingar.
Admission is free. Speakers on the night will include Aoife Weller from Mullingar who suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis; Nutritionist Aisling Murray BSc (nutrition); Chartered Physiotherapist Sinead Brogan MISCP and pharmacist Eamonn Brady MPSI. Call the Whelehans Pharmacy at 04493 34591 for more information or to book a place.
To be continued….next week I will discuss treatment of RA.
This article is shortened to fit within Newspaper space limits. More detailed information and leaflets is available in Whelehans