Rheumatoid arthritis treatment (RA) is used to treat a common form of arthritis that causes inflammation within the lining of the joints, reduced range of motion, swelling and pain. RA tends to persist for several years, which often affects multiple joints of the body and may also cause damage to cartilage, bones, tendons and ligaments of the joints.

One way to differentiate RA from other kinds of arthritis is by the pattern of the affected joints. for instance, RA affects the wrist and small joints of the hand (MCPs and PIPs) but, normally, doesn’t affect the joints that are closest to the nails (DIPs). Conversely, osteoarthritis, a more common kind of arthritis, most frequently affects joints closer to the nails than other areas of the hand.

The spine is typically not affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), except the neck. Another essential feature of RA is that the joints on either side of the body tend to be affected. Like to mention if the knuckles of the right hand are inflamed, probably, the same knuckles of the other hand might also be inflamed.

The general pattern of the affected joints, along with certain symptoms allows the rheumatoid arthritis specialist doctor to easily differentiate RA from other conditions.

The reasons behind RA are unknown; however, the body’s immune system plays a vital role in the inflammation and damage that RA causes within the joints. In RA, the immune system attacks the body’s joints and might also affect other organs of the body. It is also observed that in RA, the cells of the body’s system invade the tissues of the joints and cause inflammation. These cells within the tissue and fluid of the joint produce many substances, including enzymes, antibodies and cytokines, which attack the joint and may damage it.

The symptoms of RA vary from one person to another. In some people, the disease may be mild, with periods of activity (in which the inflammation of the joints worsens) called periods of exacerbation. In others, the disease remains active continuously and worsens, or progresses with the passage of your time.

There have been significant advances in treating rheumatoid arthritis, especially for patients whose arthritis does not respond to traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like methotrexate, sulfasalazine etc. The most important advance has been the development of a group of drugs called biologics. The newer, second-generation biologics have come to market only in the past 10 to 15 years or so. Other names for biologic therapies include: biologic agents, biologics, biological response modifiers or immunotherapy.

It is now clear that the first year is a critical time to treat RA. Often much of the bone and joint damage starts early, within a few months of onset. Biologics have given new hope to people with rheumatoid arthritis. They are considered a possible treatment for patients who have uncontrolled RA despite the use of DMARDs. Biologics have been shown to help slow progression of rheumatoid arthritis when all other treatments have failed. Biologics do not reverse existing damage, but can protect the joints against continued damage. Aggressive rheumatoid arthritis treatment in Pune is known to help prevent disability. Biologics have revolutionized the treatment of various other diseases such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease and are widely used in treating a variety of cancers.

Biological therapies are newer drugs that are derived from living organisms and may be produced by biotechnology methods. In contrast most drugs are essentially chemicals synthesized from other chemicals. Biologics are used to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis that has not responded adequately to other treatments. They differ significantly from traditional drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in that they target specific components of the immune system instead of broadly affecting many areas of the immune system.

Some biological therapies are called anti-TNF drugs. They target a protein called tumour necrosis factor (TNF), which increases inflammation when excess amounts are present in the body. Other biological therapies target different proteins. Biological therapies are only given to people who haven’t responded to conventional DMARDs or who’ve had side-effects from them.