Arava and Rheumatoid Arthritis

-From the Arthritis Foundation

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects 2.1 million Americans
• Rheumatoid arthritis most often appears during the 20s and 30s, unlike other forms of arthritis that affects older generations.
• 1.5 million women have rheumatoid arthritis opposed to the 600,000 men affected.
  

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the inflammation of the lining of the joints and/or other internal organs, typically affecting many different joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can be a chronic condition that affects the entire body. The membrane lining of the joint becomes inflamed which results in the pain, stiffness, warmth, redness, and swelling. The inflamed joint lining can invade and damage the bone and cartilage. While many forms of arthritis afflict older generations, rheumatoid arthritis most commonly affects people between the ages of 25-50, and the majority of patients are women.

It is not known why rheumatoid arthritis develops, but RA is classified as an autoimmune disease. The natural immune system does not properly operate, which results in the immune system attacking healthy joint tissue and causing inflammation and leading to joint damage. Whether or not rheumatoid arthritis is inherited is not yet confirmed. In the beginning stages of rheumatoid arthritis, people may notice they are more fatigued, sore, stiff, and ache. Pain and swelling most often begins in the hands or feet in the same joints on both side of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect the wrist, hand joints, elbows, shoulders, neck, knees, hips, and ankles.

The earlier rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed, the better the chances of controlling it are. Rheumatoid arthritis is usually diagnosed by observing a pattern of symptoms, including medical history, physical exam, X-rays, and lab tests. Drug treatment is often used for rheumatoid arthritis, and early treatment is critical. One type of medication called disease-modifying medications is what Arava (leflunomide) is classified as. People who have severe rheumatoid arthritis do not respond well to this type of treatment.

Common rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are:

Loss of appetite
Fever
Loss of energy
Anemia
Sometimes rheumatoid nodules (lumps of tissue under the skin)
Can affect other parts of the body.

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