Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a very common disease today, which can be found in all ages. They cause damage to joints and cartilage, causing many disadvantages in daily activities.

Autoimmune diseases are generally used for diseases caused by a disorder of the body's immune system. Normally, the immune system functions to protect and fight against bacterial invasion, but when there is a disorder, the immune system perceives certain cells of the body as foreign antigens and attacks them. Rheumatoid arthritis often occurs when the body's immune system attacks the synovial bursa or membrane that surrounds the joints. This causes inflammation and destruction of cartilage and bone inside the joint. Therefore, rheumatoid arthritis is also considered an autoimmune disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis not only affects the cartilage, it also stretches and weakens the tendons and ligaments that hold the joints together, causing the joints to become deformed and lose their connection. Inflammation can also appear in other organs such as the lungs, eyes, heart, blood vessels, skin and nerves (rarely).

The disease will affect the patient's daily activities, daily activities such as carrying objects, dressing, using pens, etc. may face many difficulties. Especially for patients with arthritis of the ankle, knee, and foot joints, it will be difficult to stand and bend.

The most common sign of rheumatoid arthritis in patients is joint pain and stiffness, which is worse in the morning after waking up, and also after sitting motionless for a period of time. long.
The stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis patients often gets better with movement and only appears suddenly and then disappears quickly, so patients often do not pay attention to this initial sign. Some rheumatoid arthritis patients also experience symptoms such as: shortness of breath, fatigue, burning or itchy eyes, boils in the legs, loss of appetite, tingling and numbness, skin nodules, weakness and high fever ,... pay special attention to the joints where red, swollen, hot, tender and deformed joints may appear.

Early detection and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis thanks to early signs can bring positive treatment results for patients. Therefore, you should see a doctor as soon as the body shows the above symptoms.

Rheumatoid arthritis can cause many complications, of which osteoporosis is the most common complication in this disease. Rheumatoid arthritis will increase the risk of osteoporosis for the patient, making the bones weak and fragile.

At the same time, osteoporosis can also be encountered when the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is not performed properly. When patients abuse pain relievers to relieve temporary pain or can use corticosteroids, although they can help relieve pain immediately but bring extremely serious consequences later such as: high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity,...
Besides osteoporosis, people with rheumatoid arthritis can experience carpal tunnel syndrome, cardiovascular problems, and lung disease .

Rheumatoid arthritis is often difficult to diagnose accurately in the early stages because the symptoms of the disease are quite vague and only appear transient such as pain or stiffness in the joints in the morning. Therefore, patients need to go to medical facilities to be examined and determine their disease status in a specific way.
The doctor may first diagnose the disease based on physical symptoms such as warmth, swelling, and pain in the joints. Then a blood test can be performed to obtain the most accurate result. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often have an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein (CRP), which can detect inflammatory processes in the body. Other common blood tests look for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies.
Doctors can also order patients to have X-rays to check the progress of rheumatoid arthritis, or use MRI and ultrasound to assess the severity of the disease.

Currently there is no specific treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, but we still have treatments to manage the condition of the disease. This treatment will control the pain and control the inflammatory response. With active treatment, arthritis can be relieved in some cases. This treatment includes medication, dietary changes, and specific range of motion exercises. The method will help manage the disease well, prevent damage to joints and some other organs in the body.

Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality with a team of leading medical doctors, modern equipment and technology, but also stands out for its examination and consultation services. comprehensive and professional medical consultation and treatment; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space. Customers when choosing to perform tests here can be completely assured of the accuracy of test results.
Customers can directly go to Vinmec Health system nationwide to visit or contact the hotline here for support.