CASE STUDY

Case Study

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease marked by damage to the joints and abnormalities of the immune system. Rheumatoid arthritis affects around 1% of people worldwide. The drugs Etanercept and methotrexate are known to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis; however, no data exist on concurrent initiation or use of the combination compared with either drug alone.About 13 years ago, lifelong arthritis sufferer Juliette Rizo, 35, experienced significant reductions in her pain levels after changing her diet. "I was so tired of living in pain and popping 20-something pills every day," says Rizo, a Washington, DC-based national communications director with the US Department of Education. She stopped taking medication and began to eat beneficial foods. For instance, Rizo knows that omega-3 fatty acids are helpful for easing joint pain, so she eats foods rich in these essential fats.

Case Study

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis, commonly referred to as RA, sways about one per hundred of the world's population. It is an autoimmune infection in which the immune system attacks normal, wholesome tissues and units, issuing enzymes that attack surrounding tissues. RA normally affects the coating of junctions, but it can affect the membranes coating body-fluid vessels, heart, and lungs may furthermore become inflamed. Joints and other affected areas become increased, enlarge, and cause agony.

Rheumatoid arthritis is often tough to diagnose. There is no lone test for diagnosing RA, and it's often misdiagnosed as Lyme disease. The Latex check is utilised to identify RA. The test notices the rheumatoid component present in the blood. The rheumatoid component is an antibody produced in answer to inflammation, and is most often present in patients with RA as their situation progress. Rheumatoid component is also discovered in patients with chronic infection, but high grades are often glimpsed in severe situations of RA. The diagnostic criteria of the American school of Rheumatology state that four out of seven symptoms must be present for the diagnosis of RA to be made. Symptoms such as enlarging and stiffness should be present for at least six weeks before the diagnosis is considered certain.

A37-year-old woman gradually evolved sore wrists over 3 months; she conferred her medical practitioner only when the agony and early morning stiffness halted her from gardening. On examination, both wrists and the metacarpophalangeal junctions of both hands were swollen and tender but not deformed. There were no nodules or vasculitic lesions. On investigation, she was found to have a increased C-reactive protein (CRP) grade (27mg/l) (NR <10) but a usual haemoglobin and white-cell count. Alatex check for rheumatoid component was contradictory and antinuclear antibodies were not detected.

The origin of this infection is currently unknown. There are many factors that are thought to play a role in rheumatoid arthritis. There does appear to be a genetic (or inherited) component to the disease. Researchers have discovered that certain genes are associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis. However, the presence of these genes is not predictive of who will have the ...