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...
It is my belief that we need to clarify what the difference is to each of us.
Remission: yes the drug companies have pushed the use of that term to mean 'free of symptoms as long as you're on this drug'. But is that really remission - or is it simply 'controlled'? If you get off that drug - will you stay in remission/symptom free?
People get in a tizzy when I say I'm in remission via diet because sometimes I get off my diet and am briefly in a 48 hour minor flare. Yet isn't that similar to someone who missed their medication dose - and also had a brief flare prior to getting back on it?
So now I say remission/control which is what it's really about - whether it's via drugs or diet. Get off of either - and the patient suffers.
True remission is the absence of disease. Such as a successfully treated cancer patient. No more drugs are needed
And they live in a disease free state.. While that can happen in RA - it rarely does. And no drug company is truly looking for a 'RA cure' because if patients were cured - they wouldn't need to stay on the drugs for life.
Remission: yes the drug companies have pushed the use of that term to mean 'free of symptoms as long as you're on this drug'. But is that really remission - or is it simply 'controlled'? If you get off that drug - will you stay in remission/symptom free?
People get in a tizzy when I say I'm in remission via diet because sometimes I get off my diet and am briefly in a 48 hour minor flare. Yet isn't that similar to someone who missed their medication dose - and also had a brief flare prior to getting back on it?
So now I say remission/control which is what it's really about - whether it's via drugs or diet. Get off of either - and the patient suffers.
True remission is the absence of disease. Such as a successfully treated cancer patient. No more drugs are needed
And they live in a disease free state.. While that can happen in RA - it rarely does. And no drug company is truly looking for a 'RA cure' because if patients were cured - they wouldn't need to stay on the drugs for life.
I agree with your definition of remission. My Rheumatologist has never used that term with me - only speaks of stopping or slowing the progression of the disease which I am total agreement with.
I just found this definition of remission:
the state of absence of disease activity in patients with a chronic illness, with the possibility of return of disease activity.
I treat the word "remission" the same as I treat the words "rheumatoid arthritis" when speaking with anyone. To most people the RA term means OA and they have no idea of what I am going through. In place of remission I use the same term as you saying that I am starting to get it under control somewhat with the medications.
VS spontaneous remission. RA does occasionally go into spontaneous remission but thats kinda like counting on winning the lottery.
The best we can hope is induced remission by whatever method works for the individual patient. Often we never achieve true remission but instead varying degrees of control.
And you know maybe a good degree of control is better than full remission. Often full remission comes with risky levels of immunesuppression.
Just my two cents, Lynn
I am in remission on Orencia,
i think remission is a bit more than being symptom free cause someone could possibly be symptom free on pain killers or anti-inflamatories???
The diff is that would not stop the progression of the disease. Living with the crippling effects of RA I am very cognizant of the importance of stopping the progression.
:)
depot