Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
From RA & You, publication of the Arthritis Foundation:
EARLY AGRESSIVE TREATMENT : Goal is to reduce or stop inflammation as quickly as possible - the earlier, the better.
TREAT-To-TARGET APPROACH: Doctors refer to inflammation in RA as disease activity and the ultimate goal is to stop it - meaning no signs or symptoms of active inflammation (remission). This goal may be defined as having no symptoms or feeling the way you did before RA.
TIGHT CONTROL: If reducing disease activity to zero isn't possible, getting disease activity to a low level and keeping it there is the goal. This is called tight control of RA. Research shows that tight control can prevent or slow the pace of joint damage.
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NOTE: None of these approaches talk about merely treating the pain, but rather the underling cause of the pain - the inflammation. Only by keeping the inflammation at bay do you stop the progression of the disease which is permanent joint damage and deformities.
EARLY AGRESSIVE TREATMENT : Goal is to reduce or stop inflammation as quickly as possible - the earlier, the better.
TREAT-To-TARGET APPROACH: Doctors refer to inflammation in RA as disease activity and the ultimate goal is to stop it - meaning no signs or symptoms of active inflammation (remission). This goal may be defined as having no symptoms or feeling the way you did before RA.
TIGHT CONTROL: If reducing disease activity to zero isn't possible, getting disease activity to a low level and keeping it there is the goal. This is called tight control of RA. Research shows that tight control can prevent or slow the pace of joint damage.
----------------------------
NOTE: None of these approaches talk about merely treating the pain, but rather the underling cause of the pain - the inflammation. Only by keeping the inflammation at bay do you stop the progression of the disease which is permanent joint damage and deformities.
Thank you and Peace
Bluedogs2
Poodlemom
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/718844
"The main goal for RA treatment should be remission, which was defined as the absence of signs/symptoms of inflammatory disease activity....once reached, treatment target should be maintained, and that structural changes and functional impairment should be considered when making decisions about therapy"
Be well
Bluedogs2
You keep us Real
Really
Respectfully,
Ros
(grooving her alliteration today :)