Rheumatoid Arthritis
Nearly anyone can develop rheumatoid arthritis at any age. Knowing the symptoms and risk factors can ensure you receive early treatment.
Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis begins when your immune system starts to attack the synovium, or the lining that surrounds joints. As the synovium starts to swell and becomes inflamed, it puts pressure on the cartilage and the bones of the joint. This causes the ligaments to stretch and become weak. Over time, the joint will lose it shape and become misaligned.
What Are the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis has many symptoms, including:
- ✪ Stiffness after long periods of inactivity, which may last for hours
- ✪ Joints that become tend, swollen and warm
- ✪ Rheumatoid nodules, or hard bumps under the tissue of the skin of the arms
- ✪ Fatigue, noticeable weight loss and fever
Risk Factors of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Nearly anyone can develop rheumatoid arthritis at any age. However, it’s important to be aware of some general trends that point to increased risk. Seventy-five percent of the people that develop rheumatoid arthritis are women, and the disease most commonly onsets between the ages of 30-50. You may also be more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis if someone in your family has the disease.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
Our rheumatologists can provide a number of treatment options to help control and manage the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Our early arthritis clinic was created to help patients catch arthritis, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, in its early stages in order to slow its progression. Our practice also offers patients biologics that can help combat the condition at its source, targeting the specific areas of the immune system that have begun attacking the body.
Early Arthritis Clinic
Our early arthritis clinic was formed for the specific purpose of quickly diagnosing and treating rheumatoid arthritis. Most cases of rheumatoid arthritis can be put into remission if aggressive treatment is begun at the early stages of the disease. If left untreated, rheumatoid arthritis can result in joint destruction, deformity, erosion, and functional disability. Through education, early diagnosis and early treatment, we hope to help prevent our patients from dealing with these complications.
Patient-Centered Diagnosis
Despite the fickleness of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, there are many ways to find out if you’re affected. Our early arthritis clinic and arthritis & osteoporosis center consists of healthcare professionals who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis, as well as the development of individual treatment plans. We will see you within 2 weeks of you either being referred to us by another doctor or calling to schedule an appointment with the early arthritis clinic.
Evaluations are done by either Dr. Ricardo Pocurull or Dr. Rajpreet Singh, both of whom are board-certified rheumatologists. These evaluations include the collection of medical history, as well as joint examination, blood work, x-rays and joint ultrasounds to diagnose arthritis and osteoporosis. If it is found out that you do have rheumatoid arthritis, our doctors will work closely with you in developing a unique treatment plan to manage your symptoms.
