Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA for short, is a chronic disease that distorts and stiffens the body. It attacks joints and internal organs – if left untreated, it damages them, and even leads to death.
It is worth getting to know the typical symptoms of the disease – a simple Symptom Questionnaire and an online compendium of knowledge about RA, prepared by specialists, will help you in this. In case of the slightest suspicions and doubts, it will be necessary to visit a doctor, who, the sooner he diagnoses and starts treatment, the greater the chance of stopping the disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis – causes
What influences the development of RA? One of the reasons is genetics, although we do not always get rheumatoid arthritis if, for example, our parents or grandparents struggled with this condition. Another reason may be a dysfunction of the immune system, which wrongly treats its own tissues as an “enemy” and leads to their destruction. Other reasons, quite down-to-earth and leading to a host of other diseases, include severe stress, addiction to cigarettes, and some viruses and bacteria. And what is important – it turns out that women suffer from RA more often, which of course does not mean that men should skip observation and research in this area.
Rheumatoid arthritis – symptoms
The main symptoms of RA are pain and swelling in the joints. They mainly affect the so-called small joints of the feet and hands, and less often large joints, such as elbow, hip, knee, ankle or shoulder joints. Symmetrical pain is very characteristic of the disease, i.e. on both sides of the body in the same joints. In RA, there are also accompanying symptoms – ranging from fever, sore throat, persistent cough, difficulty urinating, blood in the stools, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, chest pain, weight loss, weakness, joint pain and stiffness, to paralysis of the limbs and problems with feeling and eyesight. The most important thing is to carefully identify your ailments and see a doctor as soon as possible. Early diagnosis allows you to stop RA, and thus – enjoy the comfort of life, not everyday life in pain.
Complete the Symptom Questionnaire to do a symptom self-assessment.
Move the world – information about RA from doctors
The best online source of knowledge about rheumatoid arthritis is the Poruskuje Świat website. This place is dedicated to people suffering from all rheumatic diseases (RA, ankylosing spondylitis – AS, juvenile idiopathic arthritis – JIA and psoriatic arthritis – PsA) and also intended for rheumatologists and nurses from rheumatology departments. Move the World supports patients and their relatives in increasing awareness about the disease. It identifies causes, symptoms, treatment options, provides useful advice, and increases and facilitates access to specialists. Thanks to their knowledge and experience, they are able to quickly diagnose the disease and take appropriate treatment, which goes beyond the standard pharmacological treatment and also includes rehabilitation, support from dietitians, a psychologist and even a social specialist.
Complete the Symptom Questionnaire and discuss the results with your doctor.
Move the World is the only reliable source of information about RA – the website helps patients regain self-confidence and a pain-free life, and is an irreplaceable source of knowledge for their relatives. Move the World will answer all your questions.
Check the compendium of knowledge on RA. The material is entirely based on the websites www.poruszycswiat.pl