What Does Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Look Like? The first-line treatment for RA is usually a DMARD called methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall). You may also get steroids or corticosteroids as an anti-inflammatory. That's enough for most people, though some may need to increase the dose.
Methotrexate is now considered the first-line DMARD agent for most patients with RA. It has a relatively rapid onset of action at therapeutic doses (6-8 weeks), good efficacy, favorable toxicity profile, ease of administration, and relatively low cost.
Stage I: Synovitis
During stage I, you may start having mild symptoms, including joint pain and joint stiffness. Most commonly, this affects the hands and fingers, as well as the ankles and knees. The immune system has begun attacking the joint tissue, causing the synovial membrane to swell and become inflamed.
Early RA – This term is generally applied to disease that is between a few weeks and one year in its progression. Some studies, however, consider "early arthritis" to be disease with six months of duration or less. The turning point to chronic RA begins after 12 weeks.
Mild RA is the least severe form of the rheumatoid arthritis. At this stage, people will experience intermittent pain, stiffness, and swelling. However, lack of severity and infrequency of symptoms also make diagnosis at this stage difficult and can delay treatment.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Or your doctor may prescribe a type called a COX-2 inhibitor, such as celecoxib or etoricoxib. These medicines can help relieve pain while also reducing inflammation in the joints, although they will not stop rheumatoid arthritis getting worse over time.
What Does Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Look Like? The first-line treatment for RA is usually a DMARD called methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall). You may also get steroids or corticosteroids as an anti-inflammatory. That's enough for most people, though some may need to increase the dose.
Treatment of stage 1 RA
In the early stage, rheumatoid arthritis, the first line of treatment is the use of Methotrexate. Methotrexate is a chemotherapy medication that alters the immune system response. It can be taken in the form of pill or injection.
“METHOTREXATE—THE GOLD STANDARD” Drugs used for treatment of RA are mainly administered by various routes of drug delivery, such as enteral (oral, sublingual, and buccal), parenteral (intramuscular, intravascular, subcutaneous, and intra-articular), or topical (skin and mucosal membranes).
You can get rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at any age, but it's most likely to show up between ages 30 and 50. When it starts between ages 60 and 65, it's called elderly-onset RA or late-onset RA. Elderly-onset RA is different from RA that starts in earlier years.
There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. But clinical studies indicate that remission of symptoms is more likely when treatment begins early with medications known as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs With The Least Side Effects
The RA drug with the least side effects is hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil).
Take Your Medication
Medications to treat RA include: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen. Corticosteroids, such as prednisone. Conventional DMARDs, which can slow RA progression and possibly save the joints from permanent damage.
1. NSAIDs. Most people with RA are advised to take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to decrease pain and inflammation. NSAIDs are sold over-the-counter, under such names as Advil and Aleve, as well as by prescription, under names such as Mobic and Celebrex.
No blood test can definitively prove or rule out a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, but several tests can show indications of the condition. Some of the main blood tests used include: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) – which can help assess levels of inflammation in the body.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has many physical and social consequences and can lower quality of life. It can cause pain, disability, and premature death. Premature heart disease. People with RA are also at a higher risk for developing other chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Clinical History. The typical case of rheumatoid arthritis begins insidiously, with the slow development of signs and symptoms over weeks to months. Often the patient first notices stiffness in one or more joints, usually accompanied by pain on movement and by tenderness in the joint.
There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but remission can feel like it. Today, early and aggressive treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics makes remission more achievable than ever before.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition, which means it's caused by the immune system attacking healthy body tissue. However, it's not yet known what triggers this. Your immune system normally makes antibodies that attack bacteria and viruses, helping to fight infection.