Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment: From Medications To Surgery

It is believed that rheumatoid arthritis does not have any known cure and at best, early and aggressive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis may significantly help in managing the disease as well as improve pain control and alleviate stiffness and fatigue. Rheumatoid arthritis treatment may be undertaken by using Rituxan which is a drug that is thought to be showing promising results and this drug, which is also known as Mabthera or Rituximab works by targeting B-cells and it may also be used to pave the way for other smart treatments to rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis treatment has so far only focused on treating the symptoms or modifying the disease process though lack of specificity may cause healthy cells to die along with the diseased cells.

Pain Is The Major Reason Why People Seek Treatment

It is believed that a majority of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis rank pain as the main reason for seeking professional help and for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used for rheumatoid arthritis treatment because these agents can block prostaglandins which are the substances that dilate blood vessels and result in inflammation as well as pain and of the dozens of NSAIDs; the most common ones are over-the-counter NSAIDs including aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.

There are also prescription NSAIDs including ibuprofen and naproxen and flurbiprofen. According to studies conducted on rheumatoid arthritis treatment, there are indications that optimal times for taking an NSAID is after the evening meal and once more when one awakens and this is mainly due to the fact that the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms increase gradually at night and peak when one awakens. Taking NSAIDs accompanied by food may be instrumental in greatly reducing stomach discomfort even though there may be a slowing down in the pain-relieving effort.

Besides taking NSAIDs for rheumatoid arthritis treatment one may also use a device called the Prosorba column which removes the inflammatory antibodies from the blood of the patient and this rheumatoid arthritis treatment works by first removing the blood from the body of the patient using a catheter and then passing the blood through a column that is no bigger than a coffee mug. The column is coated with protein A that helps to bind the antibodies and the blood is then returned to the patient and the procedure lasts for about 2 ½ hours and is performed once every week for twelve weeks. According to information available such therapies can slow or even half the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in one third to half of the patients getting this kind of rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

John Ugoshowa. You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your ezines as long as you have a link back to www.quickregister.net For more information on arthritis see the arthritis section of Quickregister.net Free Search Engine Submission Service at: www.quickregister.net/infowizards/SUB/Arthritis_115_1.html

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