Rheumatoid polyarthritis - signs and treatment

A lot of people aged 20 to 50 years suffer from joint diseases. The most common of these is rheumatoid polyarthritis. In this article we will talk about what this disease is, how to detect it and treat it.

Infectious nonspecific (or rheumatoid) polyarthritis is a lesion of connective tissues in the joint system. In contrast to rheumatic, rheumatoid form of the disease is characterized by progressive lesion of small joints of hands, fingers, feet and others with the subsequent development of deformation. Not only joints are affected, but also skin, spleen, lymph nodes and kidneys.

In most cases, the signs of the disease are manifested after hypothermia, colds and infectious diseases (sore throats, flu, otitis). Moreover, joint damage in women is observed 3 times more often than in males. 15 - 20% of cases lead to further disability. According to the form of the course rheumatoid polyarthritis can be acute and chronic.

Rheumatoid polyarthritis - symptoms

In patients who are ill at the initial stage there is a slight increase in temperature (up to 37.5 ° C), a decrease in appetite, in most cases - rapid heart rate. After 1,5 - 2 months the patient begins to lose weight sharply, there is swelling and pain in the area of affected joints, body temperature - elevated.

Lesions of the joints are symmetrical, the pains are disturbed not only by movement or walking, but also at full immobility. The nature of pain in the joints is progressive, which intensifies in bad weather or in the mornings. At the beginning of the disease, the pain is passing, but with further progression it often has a permanent character. Over time, new joints are involved in the ongoing process of the disease.

Another sign is the joint stiffness in the morning. In the mornings, after a dream, the patient hardly gets out of bed, hardly moves hands, bends and unbends knees and fingers. This state passes after a little warm-up. This symptom is characteristic in the early stage of polyarthritis. And here the main thing is not to miss the moment and to consult a doctor in a timely manner.

External signs are indicated by persistent swelling of the joints, slight reddening of the skin, changes in the outline of the joints. Affected limbs have a "ruddy" appearance, muscles - thinner and thinner, deformation and fragility of the nails, with pronounced longitudinal white strips.

To the touch, the skin is cold and sticky, in the area of the joints there are seals in the form of nodules. Rheumatoid nodules are the most characteristic sign of the presence of polyarthritis. If the remaining symptoms, for example, swelling and stiffness, can occur in the presence of other diseases, then the presence of nodules - no. Nodules are located under the skin, up to 2 cm in diameter, in the form of whitish and painless seals over the extensor area of the affected joints.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis is based on X-ray, laboratory and clinical data. Typically, the decrease in leukocytes in the blood, an increase in ESR, a concentration of sialic acid (above 0.2) and fibrinogen (more than 3 g / l), a reaction to the C-reactive protein. The bones of patients are impoverished with calcium, joint joints are narrowing.

Rheumatoid polyarthritis - treatment

Treatment of the disease should take place under medical supervision, in cases of complications, mandatory hospitalization is indicated. The treatment of polyarthritis is quite long and involves the use of:

• Anti-inflammatory non-steroid drugs. They relieve inflammation, pain, have a quick effect of action. Side effects - the formation of ulcers and indigestion;
• Corticosteroids that relieve inflammation, relieve pain and other symptoms;
• Basic antirheumatic drugs that modify the course of the disease (hydrosychlorohin, sulfasalin);
• Drugs that prevent the formation of tumor necrosis (adalimumab, infliximab, etanercept) by injection subcutaneously or intravenously;
• Physiotherapy (cryotherapy, ozocerite treatment, magnetic therapy, ultrasound and paraffin therapy). It is prescribed in combination with drug therapy. It will help to normalize the metabolism, restore the flow of blood to the sick joints, slows down the process of reducing the mass of bones.

Recently, blood purification procedures (hemosorption, plasmapheresis) have been effective. In some cases, the best solution is to perform a surgical operation to remove the spleen.

If a disease such as rheumatoid polyarthritis is detected, treatment should be performed immediately, until the disease has become chronic. In the following it is extremely important not to allow a new manifestation of the disease. To do this, special attention should be given to the treatment of chronic diseases such as pharyngitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis, dysbiosis.