Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Ask the Doctor: New Dawn in Arthritis Treatment
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter, 37, has rheumatoid arthritis.
Is it genetic or a diet/lifestyle illness?
What can be done to alleviate her discomfort?
I read somewhere that cod liver oil brings relief. - H.B.
ANSWER: Arthritis comes in many guises. Osteoarthritis is the most common kind. Nearly everyone has a touch of it before death.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 1% of adults, with two women afflicted for every man.
It makes its appearance most often in the 40s and 50s.
The lower two knuckles of the fingers, the wrist, elbows, ankles and foot joints are the ones most often attacked, but any joint can be affected, including the shoulders and hips.
It’s a symmetrical arthritis, meaning that the same joint on the right is stricken as the one on the left.
It’s also a systemic illness.
The body as a whole suffers.
Fever, weight loss and fatigue are common in many stages of this illness.
The eyes can become inflamed, as can blood vessels.
Changes in the lungs are possible.
It’s not a diet/lifestyle illness. Genes play a role, but not the entire role.
The immune system is involved.
Cod liver oil is no longer used for treatment.
A new dawn has broken for the treatment of this often-disabling affliction.
Formerly, anti-inflammatory drugs like Motrin and aspirin were the initial treatment.
Now treatment most often begins with drugs called disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, DMARD.
These medicines have the potential to stop the progression of the illness.
Methotrexate is one example.
A brand-new class of rheumatoid arthritis drugs, the biologicals, neutralizes body chemicals that lead to joint inflammation and deformity.
They can halt the arthritis process in its tracks - not always, but enough of the time to call them amazing.
Some names are Humira, Kineret, Actemra, Enbrel and Remicade.
They also have powerful side effects that have to be quickly attended to.
Your daughter lives at a time that is a good one for people with this illness.
The message should be much more important than the messenger but still people just don’t read or take the responsibility of independent thinking. It seems more important to know who said it, to be on the “right” side. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care for people telling others what they should and should not say or how to say it. That’s my right, my opinion. Don’t have any problem signing my name to this but for now I’ll just use…
To Not Me,