Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource List

Did you know there are over 100 different arthritis but I’m going to focus on a Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource List.

Rheumatoid Arthritis, or RA for short, is a chronic, debilitating long-term disease which involves inflammation in the joints and other parts of the body. It has been found that a faulty immune system plays a leading role in the inflammation which then causes joint damage.

When a person has RA, the immune system mistakes the body’s cells as foreign invaders and attacks healthy tissue. The tissue that lines the insides of your joints is called synovium and produces synovial fluid that lubricates the joints to help it move smoothly. When inflammation sets in, this causes the synovium to thicken which in turn makes the joint swollen. The inflammation can damage the cartilage as well as the bones and once damaged, they can’t repair themselves. But besides bones, RA can also affect the eyes, lungs and heart so i’ts important for the doctor to do frequent lab tests to keep check on them.

My husband has been suffering from RA for over 13 years and goes for a monthly Orencia infusion plus a variety of prescriptions to try to keep from getting any more damage. He’s to the point where he has needed three (yes three) hip replacements due to them being disintegrated from rubbing bone on bone. His knees and back will be next in line for surgery.

This is a resource list of some different sites that may be of interest if you or a loved one suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis.

VectraDA

This is an advanced blood test that will help the patient and doctor better understand the RA activity and to measure the level of the disease and track any changes over time. https://vectrada.com/

These are a few resource sites that have a wealth of information on RA

https://www.arthritis.org/

https://www.niams.nih.gov/

https://www.rheumatology.org/

https://www.gene.com/stories/rheumatology-101

https://www.rheumatoidarthritis.org/

There’s nothing worse to say to someone suffering from RA as “oh you just have arthritis?” Those that aren’t educated as to the severity of RA don’t even realize the extend of damage and pain that RA can cause.

RA Medicine Side Effects

This is a blog I wrote about previously about the different types of drugs used for RA and the side effects on one of the prescription drugs my husband was on. http://themarthareview.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-medication-side-effects/