Rheumatoid Disease

What are the signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis? Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder.  The symptoms of the condition result from inflammation of the spine, joints, and other organs.  Classically, these include the sacroiliac joint of the hip and the joints of the spine, but other joints may be affected as well, like the shoulders, knees, and ankles. Dull pain and stiffness

Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis  often experience chronic, disabling joint pain that can greatly affect movement and activities of daily living.  To combat this disease, doctors utilize a combination regimen of various medications – including NSAIDs and DMARDs (per this article on treatment), as well as immunosuppressants, corticosteroids and biological agents – in addition to non-pharmacological treatments such as diet, exercise and physical therapy.  Below

Two years, three doctors and eight medications ago, I was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis.  I had lived a healthy life for all of my 36 years, and suddenly I was unable to do everyday tasks like walk my dog, lift the grocery bags or even open a jar.  I was angry that I had rheumatoid arthritis, and I blamed my disease for

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory autoimmune condition that affects various joints, and depending on severity, it can impact a patient’s life significantly.  As a potent anti-inflammatory agent, cortisone is often injected directly into the affected joint space to combat the inflammation and relieve symptoms.  Below we consider the safety of breastfeeding while receiving cortisone treatments. Are there studies about the safety of cortisone shots while

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease of joint tissues with an unknown cause. For every five women who develop rheumatoid arthritis, only two men develop it. It’s classified as an autoimmune disorder, although it’s been theorized that your body’s immune system may be reacting appropriately to a hidden pathogen or compound that has become lodged within the joints of your hands, hips, spine or

My favorite movie is “Rocky”, and I gasp every time I watch him run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Tears spring to my eyes when Rocky raises his hands over his head in victory. Running up those stairs is a defining moment in his life. I never thought getting up a flight of stairs would be a monumental event in my own

Caplan syndrome is a pulmonary fibrosis in a people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have been exposed to a mining dusts (coal, silica, asbestos). It is named after Dr. Tony Caplan. Caplan syndrome is also known as rheumatoid lung silicosis, silicoarthritis and rheumatoid pneumoconiosis. Inflammation leads to scarring of lung due to breathing of coal dust in persons with rheumatoid arthritis are the causes of