Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) do not heal – warns the national consultant in the field of rheumatology prof. Witold Tłustochowicz. Meanwhile, untreated rheumatoid arthritis after 5 years, as a result of reduced mobility, becomes a reason for ceasing professional work, and after 20 years the patient finds himself in a wheelchair. In addition, patients who do not take medication live 10 years shorter.
Rheumatic diseases are chronic diseases. The patient feels well during the disease re-emission. Unfortunately, he suffers from periods of worsening symptoms.
Drugs for RA
So far, no drug has been found that would cure rheumatoid arthritis. But the preparations available on the market make it possible to achieve and maintain long-term re-emission periods. The most commonly used drug is methotrexate. Unfortunately, it does not work for all patients. Modern, biological drugs have become their hope. These are antibodies that inhibit the so-called cytokines – factors that cause inflammation. These drugs, like others, are not completely safe and relatively often have unexpected and sometimes very serious side effects. Therefore, it is believed that the patients who have been treated with them should not be effective.
RA – biological drugs
The NHF data shows that up to 20 percent. funds allocated to the treatment of RA with very expensive biological drugs are not used. The annual cost of treating a patient with this method is about PLN 50. zloty.
Patients with RA who want to be treated with expensive biological drugs must meet the criteria specified by international bodies, repeated in the ordinances of the Ministry of Health, and be entered into the treatment program. In order to be included in this list, you have to be treated with two traditional drugs, including metorexate for 6 months. Only when this drug is ineffective, the patient may be included in the program. Prof. Tłustochowicz informs that a patient qualified for the program should not wait for treatment, if this happens it results from problems with the distribution of money at the level of provincial branches of the National Health Fund. In Poland, 3 percent of patients could already be treated with biological drugs, while 1,2 to 2 percent benefit from the therapy. The European average is 10%.
In the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, an electric heating blanket may be helpful, as it reduces rheumatic pains and has a relaxing effect. You can find it on Medonet Market.
Treatment with methotrexate
Many patients do not meet the criteria of the program because they do not want to be treated with methotrexate earlier. – It is the most effective method of treatment, effective in 70-80 percent. sick. It is also the safest, serious complications are less frequent, as in 5% of patients. sick – explains prof. Tłustochowicz.
He explains that the marketing efforts of some pharmaceutical companies to promote biological drugs were mainly based on undermining the safety and effectiveness of existing treatments. Many doctors and sick people have been subjected to these activities. – The effect is that for 140 thousand sick, only 90 thousand. carries out prescriptions. Which means that only 65 percent. the sick are treated – says the professor. Meanwhile, the availability of treatment is good. The waiting time for a rheumatologist is 4 months, which is not a long wait compared to other fields of medicine.
Text: Halina Pilonis
Read more in Putting out a fire in ponds!