Rheumatism - People suffering from rheumatic diseases

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• skin redness or inflammation

• skin colour

• paleness

• mouth sores

• swollen glands

• eye burning.

Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis usually requires life-long treatment. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. The treatment includes various medications, physical therapy, education, and possibly surgery aimed at relieving the signs and symptoms of the disease. The most successful surgeries are those on the knee and hips. Surgeries can be expected to relieve joint pain, correct deformities, and modestly improve joint function. In extreme cases, total knee or hip replacement can mean the difference between being totally dependent on others and having an independent life at home.

Medications

Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen are effective in relieving pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is widely used.

Lifestyle changes

Range of motion exercises and individualized exercise programmes prescribed by a physical therapist can delay the loss of joint function. Joint protection techniques, heat and cold treatment, and splints or orthotic devices to support and align joints may be very helpful.

Frequent rest periods between activities as well 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night are recommended.

Other therapy

Sometimes therapists use special machines to apply deep heat or electrical stimulation to reduce pain and improve joint mobility.

Occupational therapists can construct splint for the hands and wrist and teach the persons how to best protect and use the joints when they are affected by arthritis. They also show people how to better cope with day-to-day tasks at work and at home, despite limitations that may be caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that may cause joint or connective tissue damage. The onset occurs before age 16. It is a complicated disease. The primary manifestation is arthritis, but the disease may involve other body systems such as the heart and lining around the heart (pericardium), lungs and lining around the lungs (pleura), eyes, and skin. Systemic arthritis affects 20 % of those with juvenile arthritis and includes fever, rash, and enlarged spleen in addition to joint inflammation. JRA is generally divided into five broad groups depending on whether a large number of joints are involved or just a few, whether the rheumatoid factor (a blood test) is positive or negative, and whether there is eye involvement or not.

The onset of arthritis may be slow or extremely rapid. An early sign of slow onset may

be stiffness on arising in the morning. The arthritis is characterized by swollen painful joints with pain on motion and sometimes to touch. The skin over joints is generally not red but can be. The systemic form of JRA may first appear with high fevers, chills and a rash but without joint pain. In systemic form, arthritis may develop months after the appearance of fever.