Relieving Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
by Anne Kelly, KFYR-TV
Posted on 1/23/2009
Relieving Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain |
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Rheumatoid arthritis is a genetic disease that, if left untreated, can deform or destroy nearly every joint.
But treatment options have been improving over the years.
“There is no cure for Rheumatoid arthritis yet, but we are not very far, we`re not very far,” says Dr. Prashant Kaushik, a rheumatologist at St. Alexius. Dr. Kaushik has been studying and treating Rheumatoid arthritis for nearly 30 years and says while researchers haven`t quite found a way to wipe away the disease, there`s definite progress.
“Our armamentarium as far as medications are concerned has expanded exponentially in the past 10 years,” Dr. Kaushik says. Because in the past 10 years a new wave of medications like Humera and Remicaid have been introduced that treat rheumatoid arthritis at a molecular level.
“One, they are very effective,” says Dr. Kaushik. “Two, they have been shown to change the course of the disease, decrease the symptoms.”
“I would much prefer to be diagnosed now than 28 years ago because I think things would look a little different,” says Janna Stein, who suffers from Rheumatoid arthritis. Stein is injected intravenously with a biologic medication once every two months. That, and her other prescription drugs, are making a big difference. “When I was diagnosed 28 years ago they started me out on aspirin,” Stein says.
Which didn`t slow the progression of RA, leading to the destruction of numerous joints in her body. Dr. Kaushik says while the right treatment method is important, even more crucial is diagnosing Rheumatoid early.
“Time is of the essence, you diagnose it early, the outcome is better,” says Dr. Kaushik.
He says doctors are making real progress in diagnosing the disease. These days, sufferers typically have a diagnosis within the first two months of swelling, stiffness, and pain. Dr. Kaushik says although there is a definite place for biologics in patients like Stein, traditional disease-modifying drugs still work well in treating RA.
Many patients end up taking a mix of the drug classes.