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At the height of her fame, after Wimbledon in the summer of 2018, tennis player Caroline Woźniacki fell ill. Flu in the summer? It happens. When she couldn’t get out of bed a few days later, she already knew it wasn’t an ordinary infection. Today Caroline, in good shape thanks to effective therapy, tells others about her illness. He hopes that this will help others in a similar situation speed up the diagnosis and feel understood. What is rheumatoid arthritis?
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints and various organs
- If untreated, the disease can lead to severe disability and even death
- Women suffer from RA three times more often than men
- One of the most famous people struggling with RA is Caroline Woźniacki, champion of the Australian Open and former tennis player ranking leader
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Caroline Woźniacki suffers from rheumatoid arthritis
Caroline Woźniacki pweakness and depression were dealt with, meanwhile, it turned out that he had rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Caroline became the face of the Advantage Hers campaign. Its mission is to reach as many women as possible with chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis to help them develop their own treatment plan and improve their quality of life.
– One day after waking up, I told my boyfriend (now husband) David that I couldn’t move. I was physically unable to move. He had to pick me up from the bed and take me to the car – the tennis player tells about the beginnings of his illness.
Inflammatory autoimmune diseases are mostly genetic
– There is a certain hereditary predisposition to the disease in the body, but other additional factors such as infection, environmental influences, smoking, stress, UV radiation, drugs, hormones, can be a trigger of the disease. And then the immune system attacks its own tissues, such as joints, skin or other organs, explains Marcin Stajszczyk, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Rheumatology and Autoimmune Diseases at the Silesian Center of Rheumatology.
Symptoms can vary but include chronic pain, constant fatigue, digestive complications, and frequent infections, as well as emotional problems such as depression or anxiety disorders, and comorbidities such as diabetes and heart disease.
Inadequate or too late treatment can lead to many successive problems, including disability.
- Chronic connective tissue disease
- Women are sick three times more often than men
- In 70 percent patients with periods of exacerbation alternate with a relative regression of symptoms, in 15% the course is mild
- Usually, the disease develops within weeks or even days
- Symptoms: symmetrical pain and swelling in the joints of the hands and feet, less often also large joints (e.g. knee or shoulder joints); morning stiffness of varying duration, usually more than one hour; in addition: low-grade fever, muscle pain, fatigue, anorexia, weight loss.
RA is not an old age disease
– I was surprised because I was convinced that rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of the elderly. I did not think that it could affect a person under the age of 30 – says Caroline Woźniacki, who heard this diagnosis at the peak of her career – at that time was first in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) ranking.
Usually, it is difficult to make a diagnosis initially, especially since the symptoms may affect a number of organ systems.
– I have been told that I am in poor physical condition, that I may be pregnant and depressed! Me – one of the best tennis players in the world, at the peak of her career – am I in a weak condition? It was ridiculous – recalls the athlete today. And she admits that she was frustrated and upset by the fact that no one believed her.
- RA is not the end of the world
Eventually, the disease acceptance and action plan came.
– After these initial difficulties, I finally managed, with the help of my wonderful husband, to find an amazing rheumatologist who diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis. Now I can happily say that I am pregnant and that a baby will be born in a few weeks. I am very happy! Caroline says.
In those days, the support of the family turned out to be the most important, as it was initially difficult to understand a disease invisible to the naked eye. Equally important, however, was the attitude of the rheumatologist, who explained what the disease was about, dispelled all doubts and planned the treatment.
Autoimmune diseases like to be in company
It is also important to know that in one patient often different autoimmune diseases occur together. Diagnosing one means a high risk of developing another.
– Depending on what disease was originally diagnosed, we are talking about a higher or lower risk of developing a comorbid disease. The most common in various configurations are arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel diseases. Apart from these problems, there may also be other diseases: the most common are cardiovascular diseases: coronary artery disease, hypertension and diabetes – says Dr. Stajszczyk.
- An inflammatory disease that can even lead to death. There are ways to heal
In Poland, the diagnosis of these diseases is still a big problem. In addition, joint pain is often disregarded by the patients themselves, who initially ignore them (when the pain is not very severe yet), confusing the symptoms of the disease with overwork or overuse. As a result, it sometimes takes long months for the patient to see the appropriate specialist, previously going through the offices of several different doctors.
The diagnosis is also delayed due to the long waiting time for an appointment with a specialist. Meanwhile, quick diagnosis translates into greater effectiveness of therapy and the possibility of remission, i.e. complete inhibition of the disease and maintaining the patient’s fitness.
In this context, it is worth remembering that from July 1, by the decision of the Ministry of Health in Poland, the availability of doctors of various specialties, including rheumatologists, will increase.
RA can be the beginning of further problems
All patients talk about the importance of supporting others in chronic diseases. And it is not only mental, but also specific in everyday life.
– We women believe that we should be perfectionists in every way, and when there are joint problems, persistent fatigue or morning stiffness accompanying RA, then the problem begins. We accuse ourselves of not being good enough. Such thinking makes us very hurt – says Jolanta Grygielska, president of the National Federation of Rheumatic Associations “REF”.
Patients struggling with autoimmune diseases often stay at home, isolate themselves, and give up their life and professional plans. National consultant for psychiatry prof. Piotr Gałecki from the Medical University of Lodz senses that mental disorders – especially depression – are a frequent companion of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Its risk increases not only because it is objectively difficult to come to terms with the diagnosis of such a chronic, incurable, and potentially progressive disease. – In these diseases, the production of interleukins is increased, and therefore the production of serotonin is reduced (simplifying: the neurotransmitter that is responsible for a good mood – editor’s note). In such patients, by using antidepressants, we will cure the depressive episode, but when we stop taking them, there is a high risk that the depression will recur, because the factors that reduce the production of serotonin will not be overlooked. All the time this person will suffer from RA, psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease.
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– The occurrence of mental disorders may also have a negative impact on the treatment process itself, and the improvement of the symptoms of the disease may alleviate mental ailments – points out Dagmara Samselska, head of the Amicus Foundation.
The importance of supporting other people is also emphasized by Caroline Woźniacka, who, after the information about her diagnosis reached the public, began to receive a lot of messages from women who found themselves in a similar situation.
– I don’t know what I would have done without that support. Many people around me did not understand what I was going through – that’s why the help of these women was so important to me – says Caroline.
This made her willingly accept the proposal to participate in the Advantage Hers campaign to help other women get used to the disease and share her experience. Over the next few months, the tennis player will contribute to the community of women suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases.
- Experts: RA patients go to a rheumatologist too late
– Now every day I work to control my disease. I know that rheumatoid arthritis will accompany me for the rest of my life, so I learned a lot about this condition and together with my rheumatologist, I developed a long-term and constantly evolving treatment plan. Thanks to the support of my specialist, husband, family and community, I am optimistic about the future and I am excited about new roles and opportunities outside the tennis world, especially in terms of helping and learning from other women – says Caroline Woźniacki.
Women and RA
An often overlooked aspect of chronic inflammatory diseases is the specific challenges and gender differences in treatment faced by women with these conditions. It turns out that some women with certain medical conditions are diagnosed much later than men about their disease, which can affect the outcome of treatment.
The journal Current Rheumatology Reviews in May 2018 published a review of studies that show that certain chronic inflammatory diseases can cause more pain, fatigue, loss of function and stress in women than in men with the same conditions. In addition, according to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) observations, women with these chronic inflammatory diseases may have incomplete knowledge and various health concerns, such as family planning.
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That is why the cooperation of the patient with the doctor is so important.
– Especially that the doctor focuses on the fact that it is possible to quickly implement effective treatment in the so-called therapeutic window, i.e. when the disease has not led to irreversible changes, which translates directly into the effectiveness of the therapy. For the patient, especially in the case of women, a parallel goal of therapy may be, for example, the birth of a child. Sometimes a patient cannot come to terms with the diagnosis of a chronic disease and postpones starting therapy, explains the rheumatologist.
Monika Wysocka, Zdrowie.pap.pl
The text was written after the virtual international Advantage Hers European Roadshow meeting, which took place on May 20.
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