“Is rheumatoid arthritis serious?”

thank you for your question Rheumatoid arthritis is a symmetric polyarthritis that has the potential for systemic manifestations - what that means is the pattern of arthritis is typically what is on 1 side is also on the other side and it involves many joints. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis can develop nodules under the skin, they can develop inflammation that affects the lining of the long and or the heart, what we term pleural pericarditis and the condition can be associated with dryness of the eyes and dryness of the mouth related to what we call secondary Sjogren's syndrome. There are other manifestations that are less common The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis changed dramatically in 1999 Late in 1998 the drugs Enbrel and Remicade were approved and revolution ionized our treatment approach I am old enough to tell you that I practiced before that. Of time and prior to that time we did not have the treatments available that we do today The general philosophy of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis is to begin with what we call a traditional disease modifying antirheumatic drug - this would be drugs like Plaquenil, sulfasalazine, methotrexate, and leflunomide We try with the use of these medicines to reduce the amount of pain, swelling, and stiffness and hope to return that patient to his or her previous level of function The standard treatment really today is methotrexate. Methotrexate can be administered by oral tablets that are taken once weekly. Additionally, the drug can be administered by self-injection subcutaneously and that method is typically more effective and better tolerated than the pills If 1 does not achieve an acceptable response to methotrexate, then we typically try to get approval to use 1 of the biologic agents - so initially we had ENBREL and Remicade; then we saw the approval of Humira, Cimzia, Simponi. Additionally other type drugs were developed called Orencia, Actemra, Kevzara, rituximab, Xeljanz, Olumiant, and Rinvoq In this combination of treatments, we are usually able to markedly reduce pain and swelling, return the patient to their usual function, and prevent joint damage that can be seen on x-ray Unquestionably, our patients with rheumatoid arthritis today do better than 20 years ago and it is likely that we are going to see more advances in therapy over the next few years. Is rheumatoid arthritis serious ? I think the answer is yes But, rheumatoid arthritis is much more treatable today and our patients do much better today than 20 to 30 years ago Best wishes and good luck Thomas P. Olenginski, M.D., FACP Staff Attending Physician - Geisinger Medical Center, Danville PA Department Rheumatology HiROC FLS Physician Champion BMD Committee Chairperson 570-271-6416 Fax: 570-214-2924

Rheumatoid arthritis is a lifelong condition. I encourage you to establish with an adult rheumatologist as options vary depending on disease activity/severity.

Joints may be destroyed if the inflammation persists for more that several months.

Rheumatoid arthritis is usually insidious disease with joint pain, swelling, joint deformity, and other symptoms of stiffness and fatigue. However, it can affect the cardiovascular system, reduce ability to fight infections, and really affect the renal function. One study over about 35 years showed decreased survival of 7-10 years.

Good afternoon,

Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious condition and can lead to significant joint damage and deformity; it can also lead to significant internal organ involvement. Treatment essentially entails the use of immunosuppressive medications and there are several different medications available for this purpose. I would strongly advise to establish care with a rheumatologist if not already done so and then proceed to work with them in terms of managing the condition. I would strongly advise against ignoring the condition as it can lead to significant joint problems and major complications including organs such as the lungs, kidneys, skin, nervous system and blood counts.
I hope the above helps.

Yes it is a serious disease. Have you ever seen a person with swollen, hot, painful and deformed hands? That is just one example of untreated RA. You should seek evaluation and treatment from a rheumatologist.