Rheumatoid Arthritis Case Study

Gait Markedly antalgic. Equivocal Romberg. DTRs 2+ in the upper extremities and knees, trace at the ankles. Labs/Studies CAT scan and C-spine are as noted

Picture in your mind a rheumatoid arthritis patient:Let me guess : elderly women, hair gray or graying, right? Eight and a half years ago, I would have had the exact same image in my own mind, but my life took a course that prooces that there are rheumatoid arthritis patients who do not fall in the typical category During third grade, I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). I distinctly remember the day things changed. Ibe day I es having the time of my chikdhoif life playing volleyball with friends at recess and the next I was bedridden, unable to move without feelling excruciating pain.

Fibromyalgia Kandi K. Exposito Everest College Pharmacy Technician Course MOD E Fibromyalgia is described as inflammation of the fibrous or connective tissues of the body (Larson, 2002). The connective tissues include the muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons. The primary characteristics of this condition include widespread pain, fatigue and multiple tender points. Individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia may also suffer from sleep disturbance, headache, bowel disturbances, morning stiffness, painful menstrual periods, numbness or tingling in the extremities, restless leg syndrome, temperature sensitivity, or sensitivity to loud noises or bright light. Fibromyalgia is considered to be a rheumatic condition and has been categorized

recognized as a clinical entity. First identified by the Egyptians in 2640 BC, podagra (acute gout occurring in the first metatarsophalangeal joint) was later recognized by Hippocrates in the fifth century BC (Schwartz, 1886), who referred to it as 'the unwalkable disease '. Some of Hippocrates ' remarkable clinical perceptions in relation to gout are preserved in aphorisms, which are as true today as they were 2500 years ago (Galen et al., 1929). Hippocrates also noted the link between the disease and an intemperate lifestyle, referring to podagra as an 'arthritis of the rich ', as opposed to rheumatism, an arthritis of the poor. Six centuries later, Galen was the first to describe tophi, the crystallized monosodium urate deposits that can follow longstanding hyperuricemia.

When a joint is injured, the body’s first defense mechanism is inflammation of the area to provide protection and help start the healing process. Sometimes though, there are side effects of the inflammation. Inside the joint capsule, when it becomes inflamed, the extra fluid makes the synovial fluid balance to be off, and the hyaluronic acid may become watery and dilute. Inflammation may also cause free radical agents to be released into the joint from the synovial membrane, which will actually attack the articular cartilage. If these are not checked, they can lead to osteoarthritis.

Testosterone helps the body lay down more muscle. Women are three times more likely to get rheumatoid arthritis as men, says Dr Annabel Bentley, Bupa 's assistant medical director. Around 375,000 women have the disease, compared with 125,000

Rheumatoid arthritis can be diagnosed by doing simple radiographs of the joints. Other test to perform that can confirm rheumatoid arthritis is taking a sample of synovial fluid, and doing a urinalysis. In the early stages rheumatoid arthritis, you will see periarticular swelling, in the middle stage you will see periarticular osteoporosis, and in the late stage you will see extensive bone and joint

Education may be provided through verbal discussion and supported with leaflets or booklets for the clients to take away with. Such leaflets may be used to inform people regarding the methods of joint protection in RA, importance of correct posture, exercise and self-care

It mainly happens with the previous age. Rheumatoid arthritis impacts the people above the age of 40. It is more unsafe than osteoarthritis as it impacts the ligaments and tendons that join the bones and muscles. Gout normally influences men who are above the age of 40 years and is induced with the aid of the surplus accumulation of uric acid within the spaces between the joints causing excessive discomfort and irritation of the joints.

The 331 patients included in this study were recruited from the outpatient Rheumatology clinic without any selection except fulfilling the ACR classification criteria. They showed characteristics of established RA as shown in Table 1, with an excess of women, advanced age and long time since the start of the first disease symptoms (Data in S1 Table). They were also typical in the fraction showing RA-specific autoantibodies: RF = 60.1 %, anti-CCP = 64.7 % and anti-CarP = 32.9 %, and in the overlap between them (Fig. 1), corresponding with concordances of γ = 0.82 between anti-CCP and RF, 0.66 between anti-CCP and anti-CarP, and 0.64 between RF and anti-CarP (p for all of them < 2.0 x 10-16). The frequency of ever smokers was low (Table 1), but

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices and products considered not part of conventional medicine (Department of Veterans Affair, 2007,pg.197). In recent years, patients suffering from chronic rheumatic arthritis have been adopting complementary/alternative medicine to aid managing their painful condition. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy tissues. The attack is most common in the joints of the hands and feet and causes redness, pain, swelling and heat in the joint area. Traditional medicine and non-drug treatments are used to relieve pain and swelling.

Introduction Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic disease that affects around 20 - 30% of those that have psoriasis which is 2-3% of the total population. This disease is not preventable but is treatable. Treatment for psoriatic arthritis depends on severity but it can be extremely expensive and the medications can have bad side effects. For some people psoriatic arthritis is just a minor annoyance at times during flare ups but for others it’s an everyday battle against extreme pain. Some people that suffer from psoriatic arthritis are even embarrassed or ashamed of their psoriasis causing social stress as well as intense physical pain.

The doctor concluded that I had grown so much over the year, that I ended up with a case of osgood-schlatters disease in both of my knees, resulting in me having to be contained in a full length knee immobilizer for six months- for each knee. After an agonizing year of being sidelined, I jumped back into my regular routine without hesitation. The pain returned after a few weeks, but this time with vengeance. We visited a different orthopedist, and this time we came back with a different result. This time the doctor came back and told us that because I had grown so much and stretched my ligaments to their limits, I would now suffer with inflammatory diseases.

True joint pain (arthralgia) is due to the disorder within joints per se, may be associated with inflammation (inflammatory arthritis). The most common symptom of joint inflammation is pain. Inflamed joints may also be warm and swollen, and less often the overlying skin may be red. Arthritis may involve only joints of the limbs or also joints of the central part of the skeleton, such as the spine or pelvis. Pain may occur only when a joint is moved or also be present at rest.

Gout is the most common inflammatory type of arthritis affecting adults. The clinical syndrome of gout arises from deposition of urate crystals in joints,where they cause an inflammatory response, and in soft tissues where they do not. Crystal deposition occurs when serum becomes saturated with urate,the final breakdown product of purine metabolism. It is characterized by chronic hyperuricemia which is defined as serum urate levels above 6.8mg/dl,the level above which the physiological saturation threshold is exceeded. Typically gout produces an acute monoarthritis of rapid onset,often waking patients from sleep.