March 2008
 
Spotlight

Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease and the right medication or combinations of medications will keep you moving. Here are some other tips for living with RA:

1. Move your body for 30 minutes a day.
2. Eat a balanced diet. Talk to your doctor about adding fish oils and Vitamin E.
3. Achieve and maintain your ideal body weight.
4. Manage your stress level with mediation or relaxation.
5. Use applications of heat and cold to relieve symptoms

Drug Search for RA Treatments

• Anti-inflammatories: commonly used to reduce inflammation and pain
• Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs: second line of defense - medications like methotrexate, gold, hydroxychloroquine, cyclosporine, D-penicillamine, sulfasalazine, leflunomide are used to preserve joints and may protect against heart disease associated with RA.
• Biologic response modifiers: Adalimumab (Humira), infliximab (Remicade), etanercept (Enbrel), abatacept (Orencia), anakinra (Kineret) and rituximab (Rituxan) slow progression of the disease and joint damage.
• Corticosteroids: fast acting anti-inflammatories good for short term use.
• Immunosuppressants: third line medications used for severe RA - azathioprine (Imuran), chlorambucil (Leukeran) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan).
• Hyaluronic acid intra-articular injections: Sodium hyaluronate (Hyalgan and Supartz) and hylan G-F20 (Synvisc) are substances similar to synovial fluid found in joints and can be injected into the joint

Check out Healthline's Rheumatoid Arthritis Health Channel - a wealth of information about RA and how to live will enrich your understanding of this complex condition!

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