Rheumatoid Arthritis

Gut Bacteria May Be Implicated in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Gut Bacteria May Be Implicated in Rheumatoid Arthritis

There are many people out there who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and although all the medical professionals out there have at least heard about it (if not dealt with patients suffering from it in numerous occasions), there are still many things that remain a mystery to the medical world when […]

How to Manage Rheumatoid Arthritis

How to Manage Rheumatoid Arthritis

How do people manage something that can be as debilitating as rheumatoid arthritis? There is no cure for it and there doesn’t seem to be any single solution that will help in and of itself. When you do the reading and researching about the various common medications prescribed for rheumatoid […]

Cope Rheumatoid Arthritis

A New Life – Coping With RA

Rheumatoid arthritis (or RA, as it is sometimes shortened) is a disease that is as common as it is mysterious. Millions of people from all over the world suffer from this auto-immune disease and they still do not know what is it that caused it exactly. As a matter of fact, […]

Intestinal Bacteria Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Intestinal Bacteria Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis

The human body is a magnificent mechanism and although there were significant improvements made in the field of medicine, there are still certain things that remain a mystery. Rheumatoid arthritis and gut bacteria are just two of the things related to the human body who still puzzle the entire medical […]

Men and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Men and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Women are not the only persons in danger of developing rheumatoid arthritis: men are more commonly being diagnosed with the condition, too. This painful condition affects the joints in the body, causing flare-ups which can be debilitating. Scientists are unsure of the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis, however there are […]

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Aerobic Exercise

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Aerobic Exercise

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease you most definitely heard about even before you or someone close to you was diagnosed with it. The reason you probably knew about it before this moment is related to the fact that this is one of the most commonly encountered diseases of the joints. […]

How Gluten Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis

How Gluten Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis

Eating foods that contain gluten can lead to the development of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease that is characterized by pain and inflammation in the joints. Intolerance to gluten can lead to the small intestine being damaged whenever gluten is present. Gluten is a protein that can […]

Genetic Risk Factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus

Genetic Risk Factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus

Rheumatoid Arthritis and lupus are two very common autoimmune disorders that can be debilitating to the person who is suffering. While these conditions affect women greater than they affect men, both sexes are potentially in danger of developing one or both of the conditions. While it is still unknown the […]

Noni

Relieve Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain with Yoga

The Arthritis Foundation estimates that there are more than 1.3 million people in the US who suffer from RA. This type of arthritis is marked by an inflammation found in the synovial lining in the joints and this leads directly to damage of the joints themselves, pain that is severely […]

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto-immune disease that affects millions and millions of people out there. Although it is quite commonly encountered and although almost all the medical professionals out there have dealt with at least one patient suffering from it, rheumatoid arthritis continues to be a mystery even today, in the 21st century. Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gout – The Main Differences The symptoms of this auto-immune disease are known, but the exact cause that leads to its development is still completely unknown, which is one of the things that still puzzles the medical world. As an auto-immune disease, rheumatoid arthritis is related to the fact that the body’s immune system starts attacking its very own cells. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, it is inflammation of the joints and bones that this leads to, but in time tissues and organs can be affected as well (the skin and the kidneys, for example). Gout, on the other hand, is not related to auto-immunity, but to the high levels of uric acid found in the blood of the patients. In the case of the patients who suffer from gout, repeated attacks of inflammatory arthritis appear and in most of the cases it is the base of the big toe that is affected by these attacks. However, in some other cases, gout can get to affect kidneys (leading to the development of the kidney stones) and it can also present itself as tophi and as urate nephropathy. Gout and RA – Old Theories Proven Wrong The main similarity between these two medical conditions is related to the fact that they are both forms of arthritis. Their causes, however, are not that much linked and up to quite a recent point, most of the specialists in the field thought that developing both of these medical conditions is very, very rare. Recently though, they started thinking that it may be otherwise and that gout and rheumatoid arthritis can appear in the same patient more frequently that they had previously thought. Before the more recent discoveries in the field, specialists thought that rheumatoid arthritis patients did not get gout because they did not know that the treatment they administered to them was also helping with the gout. Before the more recently created drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, aspiring was used in high dosages, which happened to help patients who suffered both from rheumatoid arthrtitis and gout with both of their conditions (since it helped eliminate the excess uric acid). As soon as aspirin started to be used less and less frequently, scientists discovered that what they previously thought was completely wrong and that the chances of developing gout while a rheumatoid arthritis are as high as in any other case. This discovery is extremely important because it will eventually lead to better treatments for the patients who suffer from both of these medical conditions. It is also worth noticing that since the exact cause of the rheumatoid arthritis is not yet known, its treatment is in a continuous development as well. From aspirin to corticosteroids and to more modern drugs, all of them show some kind of flaw. Furthermore, there are drugs used today which have been linked to serious infections and even to cancer and until the cause of the disease is actually discovered, patients are only left with the hope that one day they will find a treatment that will not affect them. A New Hope for RA Patients The recent discoveries according to which gut bacteria may be responsible for the development of this auto-immune disease may be the first step towards a better future for those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists have recently discovered the fact that in the case of rodents, the presence of gut bacteria triggers the creation of certain immune cells, which in their turn start affecting the body of the rodents through inflammation. Although the tests on rodents have not yet discovered them to develop arthritis, the apparition of inflammation is a huge sign that the gut bacteria are actually the one behind the mystery of rheumatoid arthritis. Adding this to the discovery of the fact that gout and rheumatoid arthritis can develop in parallel, patients who suffer from these diseases have more hope than ever. Finally, important steps are made in this particular field and it may not be long before a better treatment will be developed. Until then though, patients are left with the best alternatives prescribed by their doctors and there isn’t much they can do about it. Hopefully, future will bring better days for the patients who suffer from this auto-immune disease.

Can You Have Both Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gout?

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto-immune disease that affects millions and millions of people out there. Although it is quite commonly encountered and although almost all the medical professionals out there have dealt with at least one patient suffering from it, rheumatoid arthritis continues to be a mystery even today, in […]

Copper Deficiency Rheumatoid Arthritis

Copper Deficiency & Rheumatoid Arthritis

Could a copper deficiency cause rheumatoid arthritis? A lack of this trace element in the bloodstream could very well be responsible for this condition. Copper is essential for the proper functioning of the metabolic process, and without enough the body greatly suffers. What is Copper? Copper is  a trace mineral […]

Sugary Drinks and Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked?

Sugary Drinks and Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked?

has been a new study done that has definitely linked RA and sugary drinks.  Other studies have linked these drinks with conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many other health issues. The study, conducted by a researcher named Yang Hu linked only drinks sweetened with sugar to the […]

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Strength Training

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Strength Training

Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than one million people in the United States of America and millions of other people around the world. As commonly encountered as this disease is, as little there is actually known about it. In truth, even researchers admit that the only thing they know about it […]

What are the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

What are the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that results in a type of systemic inflammatory disorder that is chronic and can affect many of the organs and tissues in the body but tends to favor the joints. It can be a condition that is disabling, painful and even deforming and can […]