Rheumatoid arthritis: causes, first symptoms, diagnosis, modern and alternative treatment, diet

Rheumatoid arthritis today is familiar to very many people, and the saddest thing is that no one has managed to completely cure this disease. There is only the opportunity to maintain the body in a satisfactory condition. There is also an opinion that only elderly people can get sick with this disease, but the fact is that doctors record more and more cases when young and sometimes new-born children seek help.

general characteristics

The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are still not fully understood. Scientists put forward completely different versions, there are those who believe that the disease is inherited, others indicate that perhaps the development of arthritis is associated with the reaction of the body. Before talking in detail about the disease, it is worth giving him a small description. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of the skeletal and muscular systems, and tissue joints also suffer. It harms the joints and in the later stages turns into polyarthritis, affecting already large joints and even neglected organs inside advanced forms.

Both men and women can be at risk, while age does not play any role at all, most often these are people from 35 years old and up to 50. The danger of the disease is that it does not appear immediately, a small pain occurs at the initial stage in the joints, and then it passes, after a while a person can discover the next, more serious stage of arthritis.

Causes of occurrence

The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are not fully understood, but nevertheless there are several important suggestions by doctors regarding the occurrence of this insidious disease:

1. An important role in the occurrence of the disease is played by genetic factors. For example, we are talking about viruses, such as Epstein-Barr, rubella, mycoplasmosis.
2. Oddly enough, but the disease can manifest itself after a person experiences severe stress and hormonal disruptions occur in the body.
3. Scientists have identified another reason. It has been observed that people who live in adverse conditions due to the environmental situation are also exposed to this disease.

Other causes of rheumatoid arthritis are sometimes identified, but these are isolated cases that cannot always be addressed.

Features of Rheumatoid Arthritis

There are several facts about rheumatoid arthritis that you must definitely get acquainted with:

1. This disease is considered autoimmune, which means it leads to the inflammatory process of the joints, small cartilages on the legs and arms are affected.
2. The disease can affect not only adults, but even small children.
3. Doctors still can not name the exact reasons why this disease begins to develop in the human body.
4. The main danger is that it is quite difficult to recognize the disease at an early stage. At later stages, constant remissions occur in alternation with frequent seizures.
5. The joints are affected symmetrically: if one hand was affected, then the disease will affect the second hand.
6. A disease can behave differently, for example, sometimes it can develop very quickly, or it can be slow.
7. Treatment will be more effective if rheumatoid arthritis does not become chronic.
8. Rarely, but sometimes miracles occur when the disease is self-healing.

As we see, not only the causes of rheumatoid arthritis are unknown to science. Even tracking the development and nature of the disease is quite difficult.

Stages of the disease

Specialists distinguish several criteria according to which arthritis was combined in the stage. Consider all four stages of the course of the disease in detail:

1. The first stage is different in that there are initial signs of bone finesse, such changes can be seen in the picture. Soft tissues become thicker, but, looking at his hand, a person with the naked eye may not even notice this. It is dangerous when the joint spaces become narrow, this indicates that the disease begins to progress. This stage of the disease can last an indefinite amount of time, and a person will not notice it at all. In order to be able to add a complete picture of the disease, rheumatoid arthritis according to the ICD has its own code. This will be discussed below.
2. The second stage includes not only brittle bones. On it, the disease begins to localize around the joints and bone erosion occurs. It is dangerous when the cartilage tissue is affected, because a person can lose mobility in this area, due to this, the muscles begin to atrophy. A person in the second stage can maintain his efficiency, but everyday and uncomplicated matters can become a burden to him.
3. The joints with rheumatoid arthritis in the third stage are already clearly affected, and it is difficult not to notice in the picture. The muscles around completely atrophy and begin to deform. The joints are limited in movement, so the patient, as a rule, can no longer take care of himself on his own, not to mention doing some work.
4. The fourth stage is the last stage when violations become visible even to the naked eye. With x-rays, you can safely diagnose osteoporosis, the cracks in this case are completely fused together, the joint is completely deformed, and the tissues are atrophied. At this stage, a person can no longer perform any actions and is constantly tormented by pain, even if the joints are motionless.

All stages of rheumatoid arthritis in each person can proceed in different ways, a lot depends on the personality of the body.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

At the initial stage, a person may not notice that he is sick, but as the disease progresses, he may have many symptoms that are simply impossible to ignore. At the very beginning of the disease, the patient may notice general fatigue, moral exhaustion, a feeling that something prevents him from moving freely, sometimes swelling appears in the arms and legs. Further signs of rheumatoid arthritis may become more pronounced:

1. When the disease begins to progress, the pain in the joints becomes not only obvious, but also constant. The pain is aching and intensifies after minor physical exertion.
2. During sleep, fluid begins to accumulate in the joints, so in the morning when a person gets up, the joints in the legs and arms will be swollen.
3. A sick person begins to lose weight quickly, suffers from frequent headaches, and with active movements shortness of breath appears.
4. Over time, there are failures in the digestive tract, signs of bloating and constipation appear.
5. There are respiratory pathologies.

It is important to recognize the signs of rheumatoid arthritis as early as possible, because in some cases the disease can develop very rapidly, and blood circulation is also impaired.

How is the diagnosis

It is not difficult to diagnose the disease, for this it is worth passing the following tests:

1. First of all, a biochemical blood test is taken, special attention is paid to the level of protein and ESR.
2. A prerequisite for diagnosis is an X-ray examination of the cartilage. The stage of its deformation and fouling with soft tissues is investigated.
3. If there is a suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis, the diagnosis should include the delivery of a urinalysis in order to detect the amount of protein and hemoglobin in the patient.
4. A full analysis of the hereditary predisposition is made, all injuries received earlier, as well as infectious and viral diseases, are studied.

It should be remembered that the on-time diagnosis will help to start timely treatment, which means that it will be possible to avoid serious complications that threaten human life and health.

Treatment

Since the causes of the disease cannot be identified, all the conclusions are made by doctors after a complete diagnosis is made. Rheumatoid arthritis requires immediate treatment to prevent the development of the disease and its transition to a more serious stage. Basically, all treatment is based on the elimination of unpleasant symptoms, stopping the deformation of the joints and maintaining them in the future in this condition:

1. A prerequisite is medication. Drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are prescribed exclusively by a doctor. As a rule, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, this includes Ibuprofen or Diclofenac. Antirheumatic drugs are used.
2. In the case when such therapy is ineffective, immunosuppressive drugs are prescribed that are modified by proteins that block individual parts of the immune system that cause inflammation. But, unfortunately, this method can cause other serious diseases, as human immunity is significantly weakened.
   
3. Modern treatment of rheumatoid arthritis also involves physical therapy, so it is recommended to do yoga or swimming.
4. In the restoration of the musculoskeletal system, physiotherapy also plays an important role. This includes electrophoresis and magnetotherapy.

When the diagnosis shows that the disease was the result of an infection, antibiotic therapy is prescribed. While the doctor selects medications, he pays special attention to the expression of the articular syndrome. You should not expect that you will be cured in a week, this is not an ordinary cold, but a disease that requires a long and careful treatment, the implementation of all the recommendations of a specialist, as well as a constant examination. If the disease is not detected on time, this can turn into serious complications that will lead to a person’s complete disability, sometimes even the second stage of the disease prevents a person from living calmly and doing what he has been doing his whole life, because of this depression occurs, diseases begin to manifest heart and respiratory system.

Treatment with folk remedies

If a person has rheumatoid arthritis, the clinical recommendations of specialists cannot be ignored, but you can help yourself additionally at home, for this there are a large number of different ways:

1. To reduce pain, you can do warm compresses on the sore spot, they can additionally increase muscle tone.
2. When arthritis manifests itself in an acute form, you can use cold, it is enough to apply it to a sore spot so that unpleasant symptoms disappear for a while.
3. It is recommended to take warm baths with decoctions of different herbs, you can use chamomile, which has an anti-inflammatory effect, or a series of.
4. An important condition for getting rid of pain in the arms and legs is to improve blood circulation, and for this it is worth doing a massage. For the best effect, it is recommended to use aromatic products, for example, ginger oil is suitable.
5. When rheumatoid arthritis of the fingers is diagnosed, many healers use a special ointment, which is prepared on the basis of honey and propolis.
6. If you are not allergic to peppers, you can make compresses with red pepper and olive oil.
7. According to many patients, hirudotherapy helps them in their treatment. With leeches, blood circulation can easily be improved. If they are applied to sore spots, then swelling and inflammation can be reduced.
8. To cure rheumatoid arthritis, alternative treatment does not exclude the method of starvation. With it, harmful toxins can be eliminated from the body, salt deposition is reduced, and puffiness is also reduced.
9. It is recommended to drink pineapple juice, it is famous for its anti-inflammatory effect.
10. You can prepare special cocktails made from carrots or cabbage.
11. To cleanse the body, it is recommended to drink linseed oil in the amount of two tablespoons per day.

Naturally, clinical recommendations are mandatory. In no case can rheumatoid arthritis be treated exclusively by folk methods, since, on the contrary, it is possible to harm the body. It is worth remembering that treatment with alternative methods is auxiliary, but not basic.

Arthritis Diet

In case of illness, it is recommended to adhere to a special diet, so as not to once again load the already weakened body.

What diet to choose for the patient, a specialist or attending physician will be able to recommend. First of all, it is worth remembering that many products simply need to be eliminated from use. These are products that cause allergies, it is undesirable to consume a lot of citruses, eggplant, tomato and even cow's milk in its pure form. It is undesirable to eat a lot of meat, as this also affects the general condition of the patient. Diet for rheumatoid arthritis involves the use of large quantities of fish, vegetables and fruits. Moreover, these products can be consumed in unlimited quantities. If you fully comply with the diet, then the medicines that were prescribed by your doctor will be much better absorbed in the body, which means that treatment will be most effective. In no case should you use spices, canned food and coffee, alcohol and smoking are always recommended to be forgotten.

Diet for rheumatoid arthritis helps to keep fit. The fact is that due to a decrease in physical exertion, many patients begin to rapidly gain weight, and a simple and uncomplicated diet helps to regulate it. It is worth making sure that the patient ate more foods that contain calcium, this will help strengthen bones and joints. There are many opinions of people, and there are those who argue that a diet can be completely useless, but this is far from the case, because bone health depends on nutrition. Eat small doses, fill salads with linseed oil, and fish should be fatty. Some patients actively practice raw food diet. An excellent option to defeat rheumatoid arthritis of the arms and legs is this nutrition option:

1. During the week, you should definitely eat five walnuts a day, or you can replace them with one coconut.
2. Drink as much juice as possible, preferably if it is fresh. A great option would be carrot, cabbage and pomegranate juices.
3. In the summer, it is necessary to eat more fresh berries, dark cherry, blackcurrant, raspberry are great.
4. To reduce the use of pork and beef, you can alternate chicken and fish, while choosing fish not river, but sea, with a high fat content.
5. Among cereals, buckwheat and rice porridge will be an excellent option, it is recommended to bake potatoes or boil it.
6. It is desirable to exclude pasta and bakery products, and use black or gray bread.
7. It is recommended to drink kefir, fermented baked milk and eat cottage cheese.

Each patient can make himself the right nutrition from the proposed products and greatly facilitate the struggle of his body with such a serious disease as rheumatoid arthritis.

Prevention

Rheumatoid arthritis (the code is assigned to the disease ICD - M06) can be stopped, and even easier to prevent it altogether, with a few simple recommendations:

1. First of all, it is worth eating right, this will reduce the risk of the disease.
2. Hardening cannot be ruled out from early childhood: it significantly strengthens the body and strengthens its immune system, so it effectively fights infections.
3. An active and proper way of life is 50% of a person’s success; every morning it’s enough to do a few simple physical exercises recommended by a specialist.
4. Do not abuse alcohol or smoke, and take medications only as directed by your doctor.
5. Do not be frivolous about viral and infectious diseases, treating them banally with antipyretic drugs.

Such simple at first glance rules will not only help a person never know what rheumatoid arthritis is, but also help in the fight against other serious illnesses.