Arthritis Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment takes a whole body approach

Unfortunately, science has not discovered a cure for rheumatoid arthritis, only arthritis treatment options. As a result, the symptoms are treated, rather than the cause. The goals of arthritis treatment in the case of rheumatoid arthritis are to reduce joint inflammation and pain, maximize joint function, and prevent joint destruction and deformity.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment usually consists of treatment with two types of drugs, fast-acting drugs that reduce pain and inflammation and slower-acting drugs that promote remission of the disease and reduction in destruction of tissue.

Aspirin, in doses higher than that used in treating headaches and fever, is an effective anti-inflammatory medication for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Aspirin has been used for joint problems since the ancient Egyptian era.(1) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also used for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. The most frequently used NSAIDs are ibuprofen and naproxen. These drugs relieve pain in the affected joints and reduce inflammation as well. Many NSAIDs are available over the counter, but stronger ones require a prescription from a doctor. Different people react in different ways to NSAIDs so it is not uncommon for a physician to try several different NSAIDS before settling on the right one for your rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Corticosteroids may be used for arthritis treatment as well. Corticosteroids are man-made substances that are related to cortisone, a naturally occurring hormone that your body makes. Corticosteroids are used to reduce pain and inflammation (redness, warmth, and swelling) and can be injected directly into joints.

In addition to these fast-acting drugs for arthritis treatment, doctors prescribe a variety of slower-acting medications to change the course of your disease.

Disease-modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs or DMARDs are also used in arthritis treatment. They come in many forms and they are used for long periods of time, even years, at varying doses. DMARDs can promote remission, retarding the progression of joint destruction and deformity. Sometimes a number of second-line medications are used together as combination therapy. Examples of DMARDs are hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), methotrexate and gold salts.

A number of immunosuppressive drugs are used for rheumatoid arthritis treatment as well. Because of potentially serious side effects, immunosuppressive medicines are generally reserved for patients with very aggressive disease, or those with serious complications of rheumatoid inflammation, such as blood vessel inflammation

Advances in biotechnology have led to several other rheumatoid types of arthritis treatment that are more closely involved with stopping the progress of the disease. These are referred to as the biologic medications or biological response modifiers. In comparison with traditional DMARDs, the biologic medications have a much more rapid onset of action and can have powerful effects on stopping progressive joint damage. Most of these drugs in some way interfere with the inflammatory process.

Although rheumatoid arthritis treatment is not yet a cure, science has come along way and is slowly unraveling the mystery of this difficult, inflammatory disease.

(1) http://www.medicinenet.com/rheumatoid_arthritis/page5.htm