In some cases, patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) may also experience accompanying Osteoarthritis, so they have the doubt whether RA is the cause of Osteoarthritis. It can be understood that combination of the two diseases worsen the illness condition of the patients. Therefore, in this passage, we will introduce relationship between RA and Osteoarthritis, and explain the proper treatment to manage the illness condition to help raise awareness and get a comprehensive understanding.
Will Rheumatoid Arthritis cause Osteoarthritis?—Relationship between RA and Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by degradation of joints, reactive hyperplasia of articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Clinically, common symptoms of the disease include joint pain, stiffness, swelling, locking and deformity. As a result of cartilage loss, the disease will lead to bone exposure and damage.
Osteoarthritis may come as a resulting disease of Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA), and can also be caused by other diseases, such as Gout, Diabetes, osteomyelitis, etc, or due to other associated factors such as obesity, old age, etc.
Therefore, before treating Osteoarthritis, the first step is to confirm its inducing cause. The treatment of Osteoarthritis should be focused on treating the primary cause of the disease.
Proper treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) and Osteoarthritis
In western medicine, common treatment for Osteoarthritis generally involves a combination of exercise, lifestyle modification and analgesics. The treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis also includes lifestyle, dietary, medication and surgical treatments for controlling symptoms and slowing down progression of the disease.
Both Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis are chronic arthritis disease, suggesting that the illness condition may deteriorate over prolonged periods. The best way of treating the two diseases is to bring the illness condition under control, which could help patients enjoy longer periods of remission and get better results.
In daily life, it is important to keep alert of any sign of flares. Active inflammation during flares will damage the joints. Once the damage is done, no drug will reverse it. Therefore, if you have some symptoms or conditions uncontrollable, you will need to seek for adjustment of treatment plan from an expert doctor.
The above introduces the relationship between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis and proper treatments for the two diseases. If you are in need of help, you may contact us directly.
Treatment Options for Rheumatoid Arthritis
