Arthritis

Arthritis

Make sure the typed paper/presentation includes the following: (EXAMPLE) • Basic description of your disease or topic (arthritis, digestive system, etc.)

Arthritis is a swelling that can affect one or several joints.  However, in some types of arthritis, the victim may not experience any inflammation. With different causes and cure methods, there are more than 100 dissimilar types of arthritis. The most common forms are rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis. The inflammation can develop in teens and children, but mostly, it is seen in adults who are over the age of 65. The population that gets affected by arthritis is women and emaciated individuals. Osteoarthritis destroys the cartilage that protects and acts as a cushion in the joints, while rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that triggers an attack of the joints by the immune system.

• Information on the background and history of the disease

Evidence of osteoarthritis was found in dinosaurs whereby In 4500 B.C.E, the first known traces of human arthritis was found in Tennessee in skeletal remains of Native Americans. Throughout history, evidence of arthritis was found in the Egyptian mummies circa and along the border of Austria and modern Italy in a mummy known as Otzi.

• Symptoms of the disease; how a person would know if they had the disease

The usual symptoms of arthritis are joint pains, inflammation, and stiffness. The condition leads to a decrease in a person’s range of motion, and the skin around the joints appears to be red( Smolen 637). The symptoms, as experienced by most people, are seen to be worse in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis leads to loss of appetite and makes a person feel tired. Also, due to the decrease in red blood cells count, a person may become anemic. If left untreated, severe rheumatoid arthritis causes joint malformation.

• Tests that a health care provider might run to help diagnose the disease

The doctor does a physical examination on the patient to check for an incomplete range of motions and fluid around the joint. If necessary, the physician sends the patient to a professional. Also, the patient may choose to schedule an appointment with a rheumatologist if the symptoms persist. The doctor determines the kind of arthritis a patient has by removing and examining swelling levels in their joint fluids and blood(Barbra 30). There are several blood tests used in diagnosis for arthritis. They include ANA ( antinuclear antibody) and anti – CPP( anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide). Also, the doctor may rule out other sources of a person’s symptoms using imaging scans such as MRI, X-ray, and CT scans.

• Cures for treatments for the disease

The doctor recommends a mixture of treatment approaches. The approaches include medication, surgery, and physical therapy. In medicine, the patient uses analgesics, menthol creams, Immunosuppressants, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to cure arthritis. The doctor places the patient on corticosteroids if they have rheumatoid arthritis. In surgery, the doctor does a joint fusion in the fingers or wrists if arthritis is severe. Physical entails exercise that toughens the muscles.

• Current research to find a cure or better treatment for the disease

The food and drug administration has accepted three forms of JAK inhibitors, that assist in preventing the chemical reactions that cause swelling in a person’s body. They include tofacitinib approved in 2012, upadacitinib endorsed in 2019, and baricitinib approved in 2018.

In recent research, scientists found out that methotrexate and upadacitinib are effective in decreasing pain when combined than when a combination of methotrexate and adalimumab is used. Clinical trials done on a new drug known as filgotinib was found to be effective in treating rheumatic arthritis. However, more research is being done to study the effectiveness and safety of this drug.

• How would an individual’s daily life be affected by the disease?

The leading cause of disability in the United States is arthritis. People who are diagnosed with arthritis have movement issues (Ahlstrand, 1245). Due to this, their daily lives are affected because they are unable to work and do tasks that contribute to their livelihood.

• Information on the cost of having the disease, treatment, medication, hospitalization, etc

In the United States, arthritis affects more than 32.5 million grownups. It is the second most expensive illness when surgery is necessary. The cost of all hospitalizations accounted for $16.5 billion in 2013. Also, when treating arthritis, consistent treatments are essential to ending disease development. The treatment cost expensive since the patient needs several prescriptions, which have their related costs.

. • Use of bacteria in remediation- explain how it is used or applied, positive effects, etc.

The immune response of patients is measured to detect the existence of microbial constituents. The patients with early arthritis are found to have antibodies that fight infectious microbes in their sera. There is a relationship between the levels of the antibodies and the illness activity of arthritis.

Write about why you chose your topic.

In the United States, arthritis affects 54.4 million adults. The purpose of choosing this topic is to learn more about arthritis that is its causes, signs, and symptoms, and ways an individual can use to manage the condition. The questions I would still like answered are, what are the risk factors of arthritis? And what should the government of the United States do to manage arthritis? From this project, I was able to learn that there is no cure for arthritis, but researchers are still finding a way of developing a drug that can be used to treat arthritis.

Works cited

Ahlstrand, Inger, et al. “Pain and daily activities in rheumatoid arthritis.” Disability and Rehabilitation, 34.15 (2012): 1245-1253.

Chernecky, Cynthia C., and Barbara J. Berger. Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2012.

Pasma, Annelieke, et al. “Does non-adherence to DMARDs influence hospital-related healthcare costs for early arthritis in the first year of treatment?.” PloS one 12.2 (2017).