Rheumatoid arthritis is a common disease in the field of rheumatic immunity, if you look at the name of the disease, you may not think that this disease will bring many aspects of health damage. In fact, rheumatoid is an autoimmune disease that not only affects the joints, chronic inflammation occurs, but also can spread to the skin, blood vessels, eyes, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, urinary system, therefore, need to be carefully identified. Let's give an example to help you understand the health effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease with complex causes, and the immune response of this disease is characterized by autospecific antibodies, mainly including rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullin protein antibodies. About 25% of rheumatoid arthritis attacks begin with the knee joint, which is characterized by joint damage, mainly swelling of the limb joints, common parts, including interphalangeal joints, metacarpophalangeal joints, and metatarsophalangeal joints. However, the first symptoms in some patients may occur in organs outside the joint, such as interstitial lung disease, gastrointestinal symptoms, and peripheral nerve damage.
Extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any stage of the disease process, even before joint symptoms appear. Inflammation in the system responds with fatigue, low-grade fever, and weight loss. About 30% of patients will find rheumatoid nodules in areas of stress such as elbows. Rheumatoid arthritis may cause anemia when it is active. In addition, it can also lead to systemic vasculitis, accompanied by neuritis, causing motor neuropathy, vasculitis of the lower extremities, nail bed necrosis, leg ulcers, purpura.
Rheumatoid arthritis, which can affect multiple body systems. For example, in the cardiovascular system, it causes myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. Causes interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, bronchitis in the respiratory system. Causes liver dysfunction, intrahepatic bleeding, hepatosplenomegaly, cirrhosis, necrotizing pancreatitis, intestinal bleeding, gastric ulcers in the digestive system. In the nervous system causes Alzheimer's disease, meningitis, anxiety, insomnia. Causes glomerulonephritis in the urinary system. In addition, it is also associated with the risk of malignant tumors such as Hodgkin lymphoma and lung cancer.
Rheumatoid arthritis, ostensibly, only causes swelling and pain in the joints and affects joint mobility. However, ordinary people may not think that the common cause of death from rheumatoid arthritis is cardiovascular disease. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a 1-fold increased risk of myocardial infarction. The second biggest cause in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is respiratory disease, which affects the interstitium, trachea, and pleura. Therefore, patients with rheumatoid arthritis, after diagnosis, need to undergo comprehensive health monitoring, for example, focusing on changes in blood pressure, blood lipids, and thyroid hormone levels.
Timely detection of rheumatoid arthritis requires relevant tests. First, about 80% of patients will develop rheumatoid factor, but the specificity of this indicator is low. Secondly, 40% to 50% of patients will have anti-citrullin protein antibody ACPA, and the specificity of ACPA is higher, about 90% to 95%, which is positive and more important for diagnosis. In addition, through examinations such as filming, the characteristics of joint lesions can be found, and MRI can show the manifestations of joint erosion and synovitis.
To deal with rheumatoid arthritis, there is a need to strengthen prevention awareness. Studies have shown that more than 100 gene loci are associated with the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. If someone in an immediate family develops rheumatoid arthritis, the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in children increases by 3 to 9 times, and rheumatoid factor and ACPA testing should be done regularly. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the prevention and treatment of inflammation such as periodontitis and chronic diarrhea, and quit smoking as soon as possible. If rheumatoid arthritis has been diagnosed, the goal of treatment is to control inflammatory diseases, reduce pain, and prevent joint destruction and complications, especially cardiovascular and lung diseases. In short, the prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis requires an overall perspective, not only to pay attention to joint lesions, but also to pay attention to the functional changes of other organs, and timely targeted prevention and treatment.
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