Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis is an insidious and dangerous disease
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, mainly affecting small joints, as well as causing systemic changes in blood vessels and internal organs. It is noteworthy that about 80% of patients with this diagnosis have a so-called rheumatoid factor in their blood, in the presence of which seropositive rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed.
The opposite variant of the disease is seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, which is characterized by the absence of one of the most important markers of the disease in the serum. This type of pathology occurs in about 20% of the total number of patients.
The causes of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis
Today's science has not yet been able to fully determine the cause that causes the disease. Modern researchers attach great importance to viruses, in particular mycoplasmas and the Epstein-Barr virus. In addition, a certain role is assigned to some other factors - age over forty, heredity, stress, allergens, toxins and injuries.
Self diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is a category of autoimmune diseases. When such a pathology occurs, there is a distortion of humoral and cellular immunity, and some immunoglobulins begin to be perceived by the body as foreign antigens.
During the course of the disease, antibodies associated with autoantigen are formed in the body. In fact, this means that protective cells begin to aggressively attack the resulting complexes located in the joints and other organs. Laboratory diagnostics of rheumatoid arthritis includes an extensive blood test, which reveals the presence or absence of a rheumatoid factor in a patient.
Specialists consider it necessary to establish elevated blood levels in a patient with rheumatoid factor by any method that gives a positive result in less than 5% of healthy people. Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis begins imperceptibly for the patient himself, his symptoms appear gradually. The acute onset of the disease is relatively rare.
The disease most often affects the small joints of the upper and lower extremities, often the lesions are symmetrical. Often, in the pathological changes involve larger joints, cervical spine. Among common manifestations, patients complain of weakness, weight loss, excessive sweating and low-grade fever.
Treatment of the disease
Treatment of this disease consists in controlling inflammation and slowing the progression of pathology. In addition, the curative program includes many aspects, among which, in addition to medicines, there is also physiotherapy, labor therapy and regular physical activity.
Moreover, there is even a special gymnastics for rheumatoid arthritis, which allows you to improve the functionality of the affected joints. Medications for rheumatoid arthritis are not always the only remedy. Thus, in the case of false cases of the disease, surgical intervention may be required to restore the severely damaged joint.
Early aggressive medication is considered a prerequisite for successfully overcoming the disease. Modern drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in combination with other aspects of therapy, make it possible to slow the progression of the disease, and in many cases - and completely stop it. As a local remedy is often used an anesthetic ointment for rheumatoid arthritis, which allows to remove the pain syndrome.
Treatment of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis is performed to reduce the symptoms of inflammation and prevent destruction, impaired function and joint deformity. With properly prescribed treatment, the patient can achieve remission and maintain a high quality of life.
Treatment of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis
The medication therapy of this disease can be divided into two types of preparations: anti-inflammatory drugs and basic preparations. Antibiotics for rheumatoid arthritis are prescribed to reduce inflammation and swelling of the joint, reduce the intensity of the pain syndrome.
Basis preparations are characterized by a slow development of the therapeutic effect, which is based on a direct effect on the main pathogenetic mechanisms that make up the essence of the disease. Using drugs of this type can eliminate autoimmune disorders and slow down the destruction of joints. Modern medicine uses the concept of early administration of basic drugs with delayed effect.