Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Jump to navigation Jump to search

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here

WikiDoc Resources for Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Articles

Most recent articles on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Most cited articles on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Review articles on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Articles on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information) in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Images of Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Photos of Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Podcasts & MP3s on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Videos on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Bandolier on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

TRIP on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information) at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Clinical Trials on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information) at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

NICE Guidance on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

CDC on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Books

Books on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

News

Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information) in the news

Be alerted to news on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

News trends on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Commentary

Blogs on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Definitions

Definitions of Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Discussion groups on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Patient Handouts on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Directions to Hospitals Treating Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Risk calculators and risk factors for Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Causes & Risk Factors for Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Diagnostic studies for Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Treatment of Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

International

Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information) en Espanol

Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information) en Francais

Business

Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information) in the Marketplace

Patents on Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Rheumatoid arthritis (patient information)

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Jinhui Wu, MD

Please Join in Editing This Page and Apply to be an Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

How do I know if I have rheumatoid arthritis and what are the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?

Affected joints of rheumatoid arthritis include the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, toes, jaw, and neck. Signs and symptoms come and go, depending on the degree of tissue inflammation. When the disease is active, the following symptoms appear.

Who is at risk for rheumatoid arthritis?

As a autoimmune disease, the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not clear.

How to know you have rheumatoid arthritis?

  • Blood tests: These tests can assist in making a diagnosis of rheumatic arthritis.
  • Synovial fluid examination: When a patient demonstrate the signs of acute inflammatory arthritis, it is necessary to aspirate synovial fluid of the involved joint to rule out an infectious arthritis. During the procedure, the doctor may use a needle to draw fluid from your affected joint. Based on the discovery of urate crystals in the synovial fluid or soft tissues, the doctors can confirm the diagnosis.
  • Joint x-ray: This image can help track the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in the joints over time.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI uses magnetic fields but it is a different type of image than what is produced by computed tomography (CT) and produces detailed images of the joint.

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your doctor if you have symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment options

There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment opinion includes medication, physical therapy and surgery. The opinion depends on the diesease condition. Occupational and physical therapy can teach you how to protect your joints. If your joints are severely damaged by rheumatoid arthritis, surgery may be necessary.

  • Medications: The goal of medications can reduce inflammation to relieve pain and prevent or slow joint damage.
  • Physical therapy: The aim of physical therapy is to take stress off your painful joints. The therapist can treat you by hands or by assistive devices. Common therapies include:
  • Range-of-motion exercises
  • Joint protection techniques
  • Heat and cold treatments
  • Deep heat or electrical stimulation treatments
  • Surgery: If medications fail to prevent or slow joint damage, surgery may be recommended to repair damaged joints and restore your ability to use the joints. Surgeries on rheumatoid arthritis include:

Diseases with similar symptoms

Where to find medical care for rheumatoid arthritis?

Directions to Hospitals Treating rheumatoid arthritis

Prevention of rheumatoid arthritis

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Copyleft Sources

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/876.printerview.html

http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Rheumatic_Disease/rheumatoid_arthritis_ff.asp

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000431.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/rheumatoid_arthritis/article.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis/DS00020

Template:WH Template:WS