Though the main symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is the attack of white blood cells on the joints – it can also attack tissues as well. The organs that can also be attacked are skin, lungs, blood vessels and even the heart, brain and the cells of the immune system. But these types of attacks are very rare to find. The presence of rheumatoid modules is the most common symptom in rheumatoid arthritis apart from joints. These are left beneath the skin or elbows as a small lump of soft tissue.

Skin Changes

Blood vessel inflammation or vasculitis may cause the skin to change its color in rheumatoid arthritis. These may include red spots over the arms and legs, red to black painful pimple like areas in the finger and toenails, and very rarely skin ulcers on the lower legs.

Lung Problem

Lung problems such as shortness of breath at rest, dry cough and chest pain upon breathing may show up with rheumatoid arthritis.

Blood vessel problem

Blood vessel problem may arise from the same process that damage blood vessels as in the case of vasculitis. This may affect the gut causing internal bleeding, nerves, leading to loss of strength and sensation, the eye showing red, pain and loss of vision and many other organs in the body.

Arthritis is one of the most common diseases one has to combat persistently to avoid being subjected to disability. Two forms of arthritis are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis both which materializes as joint pain. One natural way to liberate yourself from such episodes of pain is acupuncture. Many patients who suffer from various forms of arthritis opt for acupuncture as it yields satisfactory results.

Acupuncture is a safe, non-drug form of treatment that involves penetration of the skin with various hair-thin metal needles. It is carried out under hygienic environments with the aid of disposable needles and an experienced practitioner. This may sound excruciatingly painful but no need to worry as the needles are very thin and only a slight endurable pinch is felt during placements. Whilst they are inside the skin, you may feel some tingling when you are exposed to electricity. However, you can always ask your acupuncturist to lessen the amount of electricity whenever you sense that the feeling is too strong.

Acupuncture is also regarded safe as it is regulated by the FDA as proper clinical devices and there are a huge number of acupuncturists and doctors who carry out the procedure of acupuncture as part of treatment. Even the WHO analyzes diseases that can be treated with acupuncture.

TENS or Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) works by delivering minute electrical currents to areas that are in need of lessening pain and relaxation of muscles. Elderly patients who are prone to serious side-effects caused by some medications are common users of TENS although it can be used for most kinds of pain, including pain caused by arthritis.  It is a safe treatment as the electrical surges are very mild and painless and there is no form of penetration of the skin or drug-use. FDA, insurance holders and doctors all support TENS therapy as a safe and dependable procedure to relieve pain.

TENS works by the placement of pads on areas of pain and the transfer of electrical currents into the skin and up the nerves. The currents gently calm the nerves and inhibit pain signals from reaching the brain. The procedure is perfectly safe if the machine is handled properly. Since we’re talking about electrical rushes here, a slight increase in levels can cause a tingling sensation in patients in the form of strained muscles. However this discomfort can be easily diminished as the setting can be fixed swiftly.

A patient may become comfortable with the electrical currents after a few sessions however discomfort should always be noted to the therapist so that a new and adjustable setting can be applied to you.

Arthritis is a chronic disease that is known to cause illness to bone joints of one’s body by causing pain and rigidness. It is the leading source of disability and two common forms of such a disease are osteoarthritis which induces joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-drug procedure that relieves pain by delivering electrical currents into the body. Many people use it as a treatment for arthritis. It does not penetrate the skin in any way; rather it works by the placement of pads on the area of pain and surging soothing pulses through them and into the skin that reach the nerve fibers. These pulses are known to block signals of pain from reaching the brain by creating pain killing chemicals known as Endorphins and Encephalins. TENS is used to eliminate all sorts of pain caused by different conditions such as muscle and joint deformities caused by diseases such as osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, tendonitis and bursitis.

TENS is known to be safe by experts although the machine could cause harm if not used properly. For instance in the case where the machine is turned up too the patient may experience discomfort in the form tingling sensations.

The Food and Drug administration had approved Actemra to treat people with rheumatoid arthritis who cannot tolerate, or does not respond to other types of RA drugs. Due to the side effects observed during clinical trials such as the possibility of elevated LDL cholesterol, gastro intestinal perforations, hypertension and elevated liver enzymes, the agency has limited the use of actemra. The medication also blocks interleukin – 6, a protein that is found in abundance in individuals suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

The drug marketer Greentech in San Francisco has yet to perform further clinical studies to determine the drugs cardiovascular safety and long term effectiveness. The agency said that the most ordinary side effects of this medicine found in clinical testing includes headache, “serious” infections including infections to the upper respiratory system, high blood pressure, sinus and nasal inflammation, and increased liver enxymes. Some of them need the addition of lipid lowering agents in order to control their bad cholesterol.

Adult patients diagnosed with RA were tested to determine the safety and effectiveness of Actemra in five different clinical trials. The patients who were given Actemra had shown significant improvement in their swollen or tender joints than those treated with placebo. Patients with RA using Actemra are susceptible to serious infections. They also have to take methotrexate or corticosteroids to repress the immune system.

Although quite an effective medication in its treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, one should remember that leflunomide comes with several side effects.

Among its many side effects, leflunomide causes mouth ulcers, weight loss, headache, dizziness and weakness. Apart from that a person may also experience a slight rise in blood pressure.

It can also cause allergic reactions and result in rashes or itching. However, it is quite rare that a severe case of this condition will develop but if that happens then a person will have to discontinue this medication.

The blood count is also affected by taking this particular medication and a person is more likely to develop infections. If a person develops a soar throat, unexplained bruising or fever right after starting leflunomide then he should inform this to his physician immediately. If any of these conditions turn out to be severe then the medication will have to be stopped.

Leflunomide also affects the liver on certain occasions and cause many related problems. These problems can be as simple as abnormal blood tests or it can also be severe liver conditions which can be fatal.

When the immune system of the body attacks its own tissues, as is the case in Rheumatoid arthritis, Leflunomide is a very effective medication. It acts on the immune system and lessens the inflammation that causes pain and swelling in the joints of the body.

This medication has to be taken only once a day and comes in the form of a tablet which has to be swallowed whole. What makes it convenient is that it can be taken before or after having a meal, and also at any time of the day. Care should be taken however to ensure that the time of the day, when the medication is taken, remains constant.

The physician will prescribe the amount of this medication you will have to take, but on an average the amount is usually around 10-20 mg per day.

Although quite effective, leflunomide needs time to show its full effect. It takes around 4-6 weeks before a person feels any benefit or reduction of pain. Moreover, it takes as long as 6 months for a person to feel the full effects and complete reduction of the severe pains of rheumatoid arthritis.

Methotrexate can be taken either by injection or oral weekly. It intervenes in the maintenance and production of DNA, which is the genetic material in the cells of our body. Though it is not known how methotrexate works, but it can slow the propagation of the disease an decrease the inflammation. Methotrexate is considered a              disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Methotrexate is the most widely used DMARD to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It can be used in the early stage of the symptoms and sometimes with the combination of other medicines.

Methotrexate works best in slowing disease progression, relieving joint inflammation and pain, and preventing disability by delaying joint destruction. People are more likely to continue using this medicine because of its effectiveness and less number of side effects. Statistics shows that more than 50% people with Rheumatoid Arthritis continue to take this medicine for more than three years, which is longer than any other DMARD medicines.

It is the first medicine prescribes by doctors as it works very fast. If a person can tolerate it, but does not find any improvements, then the rheumatologist will prescribe another DMARD along with methotrexate. One study found that when methotrexate is used along with etanercept, it give promising result.

A research done at the University Medical Center, Netherlands show that the outlook in an individual’s life can be reduced significantly by early treatment. It has been emphasized on doctors to use early treatment with biologics and DMARDs to prevent joint damage and other disability. This is a more aggressive style, which help to decrease the affect at an earlier stage. Statistics shows that in the past 30% patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis had become disabled within 2-3 years.

Luckily not all the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis are at risk for joint disability and damage. Thus all the patients need not be treated aggressively. There is no evidence that NSAID may help to prevent joint damage, though it help the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. NSAID is only used with less than 10% of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Patients with low risk of joint damage are treated with low potential medicine for side effects which includes:

• Azulfidine (sulfasalazine)
• Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine)
• Minocin (minocycline – antibiotic that has shown benefit in rheumatoid arthritis, but is not FDA approved for this indication)

For moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, the following drugs are used:

• Arava (leflunomide)
• methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall)
• Enbrel (etanercept)
• Imuran (azathioprine)
• Humira (adalimumab)
• Remicade (infliximab)

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder in which several joints of a body are badly damaged. It can also cause problems in other body organs such as heart, kidney and liver.  It can occur at any age. Moreover, it is also a chronic disease that can’t be cured.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common type of arthritis. It affects only one percent of all the adults. About one in hundred people can have Rheumatoid arthritis at some stage of their life. People of any age from children to seniors can be inflicted by this disease. However, it is usually more common in people who are aged from 25 to 50.

Rheumatoid arthritis is much more common among women than men.  So, women are likely to suffer from this arthritis two or three times more than men.  Rheumatoid arthritis also runs in the family. This genetic factor causing this arthritis can disrupt the immune system, cause inflammation and damage the joints. The condition of this disease is worse in case of smokers than nonsmokers.

People of all race and ethnic can have this disease. However, it is very common among certain Native American people like the Chippewa and Pima Tribes. The percentage of Native Americian people having this disease is over five percent.