Rheumatoid arthritis - advanced stage: how and how to alleviate the condition?

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, advanced stage, is an autoimmune disease in which small joints are affected. The disease can be determined by a blood test for the presence of rheumatoid factor.

The development of arthritis occurs gradually, but over a short period of time - about two to three weeks, therefore there is a danger of missing the beginning and thereby complicating the treatment process.

General description - what constitutes a disease

To imagine the general picture of the disease, you can consider it on one of the typical examples. The patient woke up in the morning with a feeling of stiffness in the limbs, which lasted for another hour. At the same time, the brushes were slightly swollen.

For six months, similar manifestations were expressed in the knee, elbow, ankle and shoulder areas. To identify the cause of such a reaction of the body, palpation (feeling the body by a specialist) was carried out, which revealed the presence of small nodules the size of a pea. Analysis of other body systems did not reveal any abnormalities.

Obviously, a blood test showed the presence of a rheumatic factor, and an X-ray examination showed osteoporosis and a narrowing of the gap between the joints of the hand and pelvis. Diagnosis - stage II seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. Since there is no erosion and lesions of internal organs, we can say that the course of the disease progresses slowly.

With this scenario, you can lead a full life, but strictly observe some rules:

• Regularly observe the progress of the disease with a doctor;
• Strictly comply with its appointment in terms of drug treatment;
• During an exacerbation, provide your body with rest and immobilization;
• Exercise daily to maintain mobility;
• Regularly take warm baths and hydrotherapy prescribed by a specialist;
• Eat well and balanced.

Rheumatoid arthritis, which is a type of arthritis, has a number of characteristics. In particular, it can affect more than five areas, which often leads to damage. If you do not start treatment on time, you will not be able to avoid surgery.

Seropositive polyarthritis is considered the most common among all similar forms of the disease and most often affects women, which is associated with a difficult period of bearing a child and breastfeeding.

Most often, polyarthritis affects the following parts of the body:

• fingers and toes;
• wrists;
• ankles;
• Feet.

Over time, it can spread to the knees, hips, shoulders, elbows and neck. Paired joints (arms and legs) are affected at the same time.

Overview of key symptoms

Typical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (and polyarthritis), seropositive in the advanced stage:

• Feeling of stiffness in the toes and hands upon waking;
• Increased sweating;
• Swelling;
• General weakness of the body;
• Decrease in body weight;
• Temperature increase;
• Palpable rheumatoid nodules, often found in the elbow joint;
• Point necrosis of the skin in the area of the nail bed;
• Inflammatory changes in the joints.

In the acute stage of the disease, fever may begin.

Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in the expanded stage makes itself felt with the following changes:

• Subluxation;
• Flexion contractures (constriction, constriction);
• The so-called rheumatoid hand, when it deviates to the outside;
• Hammer-shaped fingers;
• Flat feet.

The four stages of rheumatoid arthritis differ markedly from each other on an x-ray. At the first stage, periarticular osteoporosis is visible, at the second - plus a narrowing of the gap between the joints, at the third - bone erosion, and at the fourth - signs of the third stage and ankylosis of the joint (its overgrowth and cessation of mobility).

Rheumatoid arthritis develops extremely slowly. It happens that at first the disease manifests itself in the form of symptoms uncharacteristic for it, such as fever, muscle pain, weight loss, and the like.

Later, the following symptoms appear:

• Pain in the joints, their immobility (especially after sleep and rest);
• Inflammation, leading to swelling and redness of the skin around the affected joint;
• The appearance of nodules that do not cause painful sensations;
• Inflammation of the tendons;
• Frequent fatigue and anemia;
• Aching muscle pain;
• Temperature increase;
• Less commonly - inflammation in the area of the heart, eyes, lungs, blood vessels.

If proper treatment is not started on time or is neglected altogether, the disease can lead to cartilage damage, thinning of the inflamed joint itself, damage to connective tissues, and also to the complete cessation of joint performance (rarely).

Possible causes of the disease

Until now, experts cannot list the causes of rheumatoid arthritis with complete confidence, since this disease has not yet been fully understood. However, during the initial conversation, doctors pay especially close attention to such issues as the past diseases caused by viruses, as well as mycoplasmas and bacteria that grow on acellular media.

Statistics show that people over forty years old are most often affected by the disease, in whom some of these features are obvious:

• constant stress;
• heredity;
• serious injuries;
• reaction to allergens;
• interaction with toxic substances.

How to get rid of - treatment with pharmacy drugs

Prescribing medication is solely the prerogative of the doctor, so if you find the above symptoms, the first thing you should do is contact him.

Generally speaking, topical gels and ointments, as well as antibiotics and analgesics are designed to relieve pain and cope with inflammation.

Physiotherapy

This treatment option should be used concurrently with medication. With the correct implementation of all the prescribed exercises, the risk of surgery can be significantly reduced. The main condition is to follow the instructions systematically. To do this, it is better to immediately allocate some time in your daily routine in the morning hours (you can do the exercises while lying in bed, immediately after waking up).

Here is a rough outline of the lesson:

1. Lying on your back, placing your hands freely along the body, take deep breaths and exhalations, at the same time begin to bend and unbend your toes and hands, then the ankle and wrist joints, knee joints (without lifting the heel);
2. Sit on a chair with a straight back and alternately begin to move your right arm and leg, and then the left, start to imitate walking, sitting on a chair, clench your hands into fists and unclench;
3. Standing, spread your arms to the sides, then legs; make circular movements with your elbows, placing your fingers on the shoulder; bend and unbend your arms in front of you at the elbow.

At the end of the session, close your eyes and go over your entire body.

It is very important to regularly engage in the development of the muscles of the hand. You may find it easier to do this by enrolling in a modeling course, for example, in clay.

Provided that all the doctor's prescriptions are performed correctly, and exercise is regular and complete, you can not only achieve remission, but also significantly improve the quality of life, because good habits quickly become the norm. Be patient and the progression of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis can be slowed down or stopped altogether.