rheumatoid arthritis

Question 1

what is rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Answer 1

• chronic autoimmune disease
• causes an inflammatory and desctrutive ( arthropathy - causes a type of arthritis)
• occurs in synovial joint - hand writs feet’
• cannot be cured

Question 2

what are the garacteristsics of a normal joint

Answer 2

• it contains ARTICULAR¿ HYALINE CARTILAGE
  this acts as shock absorber allows friction and free movement
• it contains a SYNOVIAL MEMBRANE/ SYNOVIUM
• this secretes synovial fluid, it nourishes the cartilage and cushions the bones

Question 3

what are some of teh symptoms of rh

Answer 3

• painful warm swollen joints
• three or more joints involved
• stiffness in the joints for more than 30 mins in the morning

Question 4

what are the joints involved in rh and their percentages

Answer 4

• hands and feet - 90
• knees, ankle and wrists- 80n
• shoulders- 60
• elbows 50n

Question 5

what are the stages of rh

Answer 5

• early
  
  • boutonnière deformity
  • swan neck deformity

late
- boutonnière deformity of thumb
- ulnar deviation of metacarpophalangeal joints
- swan neck deformity

Question 6

what are some non conventional features associated with rh

Answer 6

• rh nodules - theses are bumps under the skin on the arms
• inflammation of eyes lungs, heart
• blood = anemia
• fatigue, fever

Question 7

what are the signalling pathways of rh

Answer 7

ADD!

Question 8

what are antibodies are associated with Rh

Answer 8

• b cell activation in RA leads to the production of IgG antibodies (auto antibodies) such as the rF rheumatoid factor
• when testing if an individual has negative rf it doesn’t mean they don’t have the disease cause it can develop over time
• a normal person can also have rf if it’s ( <14 IU/ml)

Question 9

what area some environmental factors which can cause ra

Answer 9

• smoking
• hormones
• infection
• location
• diet

Question 10

what tests can be conducted to find out if someone has ra

Answer 10

• physical exam
• blood tests = FBC, CRP, ESR
• scans = x-rays, MRIs

Question 11

what ares some antifalmmatory drugs whic can be used to treat ra

Answer 11

• NSAIDs
• COX - 2 inhibitors
• GLUCOCORTICOIDS- theses can be injected but have a wide range of side effects such as HYPERTENSION, HYPERGLYCAEMIA

Question 12

what are the two types of DMARDS and when are they used

Answer 12

these are used to aggressively treat and stop progression of the disease

• cDMARDS - conventional dmards
  eg METHOTREXATE, SULFASALAZINE, HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE SULFATE
• biological DMARDS - only recommended if conventional therapy isn’t working

Question 13

what are the nice guidelines for the treatment of ra

Answer 13

• mono thereapy with cDMARDS in mild cases
• combination therapy with METHOTREXATE and biological drugs for moderate to severe

Question 14

compare rh to osteoarthritis

Answer 14

dooo ittt