Rheumatoid Arthritis Vs Arthritis: Whats The Difference
Arthritis is a general term used to describe joint disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of arthritis in which the bodys immune system mistakenly attacks the joints, causing chronic inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the bodys immune system attacks the joint linings that produce fluid that lubricates the joints. This results in signs and symptoms of inflammation, swelling, and pain in and around the joints, and in some cases, a rash. Over time, if left untreated, RA damages cartilage and bone and causes permanent joint deformity.
RA affects joints on both sides of the body, typically the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles, although it can also affect other joints. It can also affect the cardiovascular or respiratory systems.
Different types of medications are used to treat RA, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs , and subsets of DMARDs . Rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed with a physical exam and history, a blood test and sometimes xrays.
Other types of arthritis include:
- Osteoarthritis the most common type of arthritis, resulting from degeneration of cartilage
- frustration, and
- social withdrawal.
Rheumatoid arthritis usually inflames multiple joints and affects both sides of the body. In its most common form, therefore, it is referred to as a symmetric polyarthritis.
Arthritis
What Is Cdc Doing About Sle
CDC has previously funded five lupus registries and the development of a public health agendaCdc-pdf
SLE is the most common and most serious type of lupus. Other types of lupus include the following:
Cutaneous lupus is lupus that affects the skin in the form of a rash or lesions. This type of lupus can occur on any part of the body, but usually appears where the skin is exposed to sunlight.
Drug-induced lupus is similar to SLE, but occurs as the result of an overreaction to certain medications. Symptoms usually occur 3 to 6 months after starting a medication, and disappear once the medicine is stopped.14 Learn more about drug-induced lupus on the Medline Plus websiteExternal.
Neonatal lupus occurs when an infant passively acquires auto-antibodies from a mother with SLE. The skin, liver, and blood problems resolve by 6 months, but the most serious problemcongenital heart blockrequires a pacemaker and has a mortality rate of about 20%.15
Herbs For Treating Ctds And Autoimmune Diseases
To strengthen the bodys own anti-oxidant status and liver removal of toxins, choose from amla fruit, dandelion root, milk thistle seed, wheat sprouts, and white peony root.
I often use two or three grams of concentrated wheat sprouts for a minimum of six weeks early in the therapy.
Essential fatty acids are critical to use
To modulate the immune system and reduce autoimmune attack, assuming the patient cannot tolerate biologics, use either low-dose prednisone high doses of vitamin D3. This part of the protocol is critical, not as an end in itself, but to buy time for the cleansing and dietary therapies to work.
For digestive support and to help the body eliminate protein or sticky deposits, use high doses of digestive enzymes These should be used along with guduchi stem or kaishore guggul.
To remove dampness and swelling, choose from black atractylodes, coix, dandelion leaf, and phellodendron bark.
To strengthen the connective tissue itself, choose from herbs and nutrients like glucosamine sulfate, gotu kola leaf, bamboo sap , flavonoid-rich fruits, multi-mineral combinations, hawthorn,stoneroot and MSM. In scleroderma cases, MSM is also useful topically, as a cream.
Acupuncture can be helpful.
You May Like: Ra Symptoms In Legs
The Role Of Imaging Tests
Imaging tests such as X-rays can be very helpful in determining the correct diagnosis of lupus vs. rheumatoid arthritis.
This is because lupus, unlike RA, rarely causes joint erosions. Your doctor may also order a chest X-ray if youre experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath that could indicate lupus urine and blood tests can show whether your kidneys have been affected.
What Is The Treatment For Rheumatoid Arthritis Vs Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
There is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis.
To date, the goal of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis is to reduce joint inflammation and pain, maximize joint function, and prevent joint destruction and deformity.
- Early medical intervention has been shown to be important in improving outcomes.
- Aggressive management can improve function, stop damage to joints as monitored on X-rays, and prevent work disability.
- Optimal RA treatment involves a combination of medicines, rest, joint-strengthening exercises, joint protection, and patient education.
- Treatment is customized according to many factors such as disease activity, types of joints involved, general health, age, and patient occupation.
- RA treatment is most successful when there is close cooperation between the doctor, patient, and family members.
- RA medications include NSAID and corticosteroids for pain and inflammation symptoms.
- Drugs that affect the progression of rheumatoid arthritis are called DMARDs
- These “second-line” or “slow-acting” medicines may take weeks to months to become effective. They are used for long periods, even years, at varying doses. If maximally effective, DMARDs can promote remission, thereby retarding the progression of joint destruction and deformity.
Arthritis
The treatment of arthritis is dependent on the precise type of arthritis present. An accurate diagnosis increases the chances for successful treatment.
Treatments available include
Don’t Miss: Ra Leg Pain
How Serious Is Sle
The seriousness of SLE can range from mild to life-threatening. The disease should be treated by a doctor or a team of doctors who specialize in care of SLE patients. People with lupus that get proper medical care, preventive care, and education can significantly improve function and quality of life.
Learn what you can do to manage lupus.
Immunology Database And Analysis Portal
The partnership is using several new or developing technologies to analyze information from single cells and groups of cells involved in autoimmunity collecting tissue samples, including synovium from people with RA and kidney from people with lupus for molecular analysis developing computational tools to integrate different data types to characterize molecular pathways and making the data available to the broad research community for further analysis through dbGaP and ImmPort . The first datasets were released in 2018.
Researchers mining the data can seek to identify treatment targets to develop medicines for diseases of interest. The data also has potential implications for precision medicine, as AMP RA/SLE researchers identify differences in the pathways active in the tissue of different patients.
Recommended Reading: Arthritis Attack Symptoms
Treatment Plans For Lupus And Ra
Something interesting to know about lupus and RA is that there is a genetic connection between the two conditions. People with a STAT4 gene that is mutated are more susceptible to developing both of these conditions. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that people who carry this mutated gene have double the normal risk of developing lupus and a 60 percent heightened the risk of developing RA.10
Therefore, some of the same treatment strategies for one autoimmune condition may work well for the other one as well. It is also possible for an individual to have both lupus and RA at the same time. This is called comorbidity, which is the existence of multiple diseases that are independent of one another.11 Certain treatment plans can help reduce joint pain and organ damage for both conditions and also in the early stages of one disease in which the diagnosis is not yet clear.
Although there is no definitive cure for lupus, it is possible to manage the symptoms by taking medications to control joint pain and inflammation.3 Cortisone shots may help control inflammation as well. Individuals joint pain caused by both lupus and RA can benefit from using topical pain relieving creams, like JointFlex, to deliver onsite treatment where joints hurt the most. There are significant benefits to treating comorbidity conditions like lupus and RA simultaneously to reduce drug interactions and potential side effects.
Ra Vs Oa: Which Is Worse Rheumatoid Arthritis Or
Rheumatoid arthritis is a complex autoimmune disease with fluctuating symptoms and resultant complications that create a unique pattern in each patient. Often times, RA symptoms are confused with osteoarthritis symptoms. This confusion happens commonly during the initial stages of arthritic symptoms. Despite the fact that both types of
Also Check: Symptoms Of Arthritis In Knees And Legs
Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis
The most common symptom of RA is stiffness in the joints in the morning.3,5 The most common joints affected by this condition are the hands and feet, but other joints are frequently affected as well. People with RA often develop anemia and experience fatigue as a result.3,6 People with RA may also experience inflammation around the heart and in the lungs.3
How Are These Autoimmune Diseases Treated
While there are currently no curative treatments for these autoimmune diseases, there are courses of action that can lead to periods of remission or a reduction in flare-ups. Depending on the symptoms, there is a range of options that may be used singularly or in conjunction with each other. The symptoms that affect the skin are often the first and sometimes the only ones that appear and are often comparatively easier to treat than those that affect internal organs.
- Lupus: Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin may be used in some patients to treat swelling and pain. Another option to treat inflammation is corticosteroids, though side effects can include a higher risk of contracting infections. Anti-malarial drugs including Plaquenil are often used to treat the symptoms of lupus because theyve been shown to alleviate joint pain, improve skin rashes and help reduce flare-ups significantly. Doctors may also prescribe immunosuppressants such as Azasan , which suppress the immune system to prevent it from attacking the cells it shouldnt be attacking.
Additionally, because ultraviolet light can cause flare-ups, patients are advised to be very careful with sun exposure, wearing sun-protective clothing, hats and sunscreen with a high SPF. There are certain local treatments that can be helpful but number one is sun protection, says Dr. Ramachandran.
Also Check: Ra Hand Pain Relief
How To Differentiate Between Lupus And Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lupus Symptoms
Lupusand rheumatoid arthritis are two commonly occurring autoimmune diseases.These diseases can get confused for one another because some lupus symptoms aresimilar to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
Anautoimmune disease is caused by the abnormal behavior of the immune system whenit attacks your own body cells. The reason for this dysfunction of the immunesystem is still unknown, but you can get this disease if any of your ancestorshad it. Both lupus and RA are such diseases that occur because of the irregularbehavior of the immune system that often results in inflammation and swellingin your body.
What Are Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis And Lupus
Symptoms of both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus that are similar include:
- Joint pain and stiffness
- In rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain and stiffness usually begins in the small joints, such as those in the fingers or toes, or may occur in a single, large joint, such as the knee or shoulder. It usually affects the same joints on both sides of the body .
- In lupus, joint pain and stiffness often moves from one part of the body to another and does not tend to affect both sides of the body in the same way. Only a few joints are affected at one time, usually the fingers, wrists, and knees.
Other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis that are different from lupus may include:
- Numbness and tingling in the hands
- Feeling unwell
- Sjögren’s syndrome
Other symptoms of lupus that are different from rheumatoid arthritis may include:
- Skin changes
- A “butterfly rash” that appears as redness over the cheeks and nose after sun exposure and is in the shape of a butterfly. The rash only lasts a few days and often returns.
- Circular patches of raised, scaly skin , which often leave a scar
- Sensitivity to sunlight which causes a skin rash after ultraviolet exposure
- Hair loss
- Painless ulcers or sores in the mouth
- Gender
Don’t Miss: Coping With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Kidney And Liver Function Tests
These include blood and urine tests, which are carried out regularly so any problems caused by the lupus or by drug treatment can be picked up and dealt with quickly.
A simple urine test can show if theres protein or blood in the urine. This test can help doctors recognise a problem in the kidneys at an early stage. Further tests may be carried out if necessary.
Neutrophils As A Therapeutic Target
In this review we have discussed the multitude of ways that inflammatory neutrophils drive inflammation in RA and SLE. This raises the potential to target dysregulated neutrophil activation with therapeutics in both diseases . In RA, neutrophil activation can be targeted by biologic DMARDs , such as anti-TNF therapy, which has been demonstrated to decrease neutrophil membrane TNF expression and NF-κB activation . Newer orally available, small molecule therapies, such as JAK inhibitors have shown good efficacy in RA, as they target intracellular signaling via a number of cytokine receptors, including IFNα, IFNγ, GM-CSF, and IL-6 . JAK inhibitors baricitinib and tofacitinib inhibit cytokine priming in neutrophils and can inhibit RA neutrophil migration and ROS production . In SLE, the bDMARD belimumab inhibits the cytokine BLyS/BAFF, a major source of which is activated neutrophils and LDGs . Belimumab is one of only two drugs specifically licensed to treat SLE in the UK, the other being hydroxychloroquine.
Don’t Miss: How To Ease Arthritis Pain In Hands
How Is Lupus Likely To Affect Me
Its difficult to say how lupus will affect you, because it can vary greatly between people who have it.
Treatments have improved a lot in recent years.
However, it is still a serious condition and can even be life-threatening in some situations when peoples vital organs are affected. But most people dont have the serious complications.
If you have lupus, you will need regular check-ups with your doctors and nurses to look for any of the serious complications linked with the condition.
Because of the risk of serious complications, having a healthy diet and lifestyle, and exercising regularly is important.
If you have any new symptoms or concerns, talk to a member of your healthcare team.
Is Ra Worse Than Lupus
Whether it’s RA or lupus, everyone’s experience with autoimmunity is unique and manifests differently. In comparing the two diseases though, one might wonder, is RA worse than lupus?
When comparing rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus SLE , its important to set the foundation of what each one entails. Symptoms in autoimmune diseases do often overlap Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, are prime examples of this, as they share a number of similarities.
Read Also: What To Do For Rheumatoid Arthritis In Hands
Lupus Vs Rheumatoid Arthritis: Getting The Correct Diagnosis
With no definitive test for RA or lupus, rheumatologists must instead rely on a patients medical history, physical exam, and blood, urine, and imaging tests to make a diagnosis.
Since both conditions cause the same joint symptoms and can limit range of motion, that part of the physical exam isnt all that revealing, Dr. Agarwal says. What Im really looking for are things like rashes and swelling of the ankles that would indicate lupus.
Why The Diseases Could Be Confused
Because these two diseases share some common characteristics, people can be misdiagnosed with RA when they actually have lupus, or vice versa, at the early stages of either disease.
Once RA is advanced, doctors can tell because the disease can cause bone erosion and deformity if appropriate therapy is not provided. Lupus, however, rarely causes bone erosions.
In the early stages of RA or lupus, doctors can usually make a diagnosis by looking at your symptoms. For example, lupus often affects the kidney, causes anemia, or leads to weight changes.
RA can also cause anemia, but may lead more frequently to pulmonary issues. A doctor might order a blood panel to check the health of your organs and to see if something else could be causing the symptoms.
Both lupus and rheumatoid arthritis can be difficult to diagnose. This is especially true early on in both diseases when there are few symptoms.
To be diagnosed with systemic lupus, you must meet at least four of the following diagnostic criteria :
- acute cutaneous lupus, which includes malar rash, a rash that appears on the cheeks and nose
- chronic cutaneous lupus, which includes discoid lupus, raised red patches on the skin
- nonscarring alopecia, or hair thinning and breaking in multiple body sites
- joint disease, which includes arthritis that doesnt cause bone erosion
Diseases that often overlap with RA include:
- Sjögren syndrome
Also Check: Skin Rash And Arthritis
How Many People Have Sle
Incidence and prevalence are terms commonly used to describe how many people have a disease or condition.
CDC uses the latest available data for important research questions. Recent national estimates of prevalence and incidence are not available for SLE. SLE is relatively uncommon, is difficult to diagnose, and is not a reportable disease, so it is expensive to capture all diagnosed cases reliably for epidemiologic studies. There are no recent studies to determine if SLE prevalence or incidence are changing over time.
CDC funded several population-based patient registries to better estimate how many people have doctor-diagnosed SLE in certain racial/ethnic groups. The registries provide the most recent available prevalence and incidence estimates for SLE for whites, blacks, and American Indians/Alaska Natives was published in 2014, and those for Hispanics and Asians were published in 2017. The CDC-funded lupus registries used similar intensive methods for case finding and for seeing if possible cases met standard classification criteria . See the Lupus Studies page for more information.
Prevalence
Prevalence is a measurement of all individuals affected by a disease at a particular time, usually a year.
Older national prevalence estimates vary widely due to differences in case definitions, small study populations, and study methods. A conservative estimate suggests a prevalence of 161,000 with definite SLE and 322,000 with definite or probable SLE.4
Incidence