Rheumatoid Arthritis

Usually people that have pain in joints or muscles go to see a doctor. The doctor will often prescribe a non steroidal anti inflammatory at fist to See if he can bring what may be a temporary bit of inflammation under control. However if his treatment does not seem to be working he will sen a patient out for x-rays of the effected area and look for damage. it is at this point where the first signs of arthritis are spotted. further tests can be done through the blood to test for Rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions that may be involved.

There's no known cure it. There can only be treatments to lessen inflammation and pain. Intervening early on does make a difference though. Those with rheumatoid arthritis are treated with pills.

No if you mean can your lover contract Rheumatoid arthritis as a result of having sex with you ,No it is not. Rheuamtoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which is caused by the way the body organizes its immune system. People with Ra can even donate blood without any fear of passing it on. It can however be passed on genetically to the children.

Non prescription drugs for arthritis include

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) -- recommended by the American College of Rheumatology and the American Geriatrics Society for osteoarthritis. This can provide relief of arthritis pain with fewer of the side effects found with prescription drugs. ALWAYS follow the recommendations stipulated by the manufactured or your pharmacist. These drugs should not be taken with excessive amounts of alcohol as this may lead to liver damage.

Aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen -- these are nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs can often be effective in treating arthritis pain. However, these drugs are liable to cause intestinal bleeding. Long-term use can lead to heart attack intestinal bleeding, ulcers, stroke, kidney damage, and liver damage; In effect the use of these drugs should be overseen by your doctor to be safe.

A rheumatoid factor test measures the amount of rheumatoid factor in your blood. Rheumatoid factors are proteins produced by your immune system that can attack healthy tissue in your body.

High levels of rheumatoid factor in the blood are most often associated with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome. But rheumatoid factor may be detected in some healthy people, and people with autoimmune diseases sometimes have normal levels of rheumatoid factor.

Results are usually reported in one of two ways:

• Less than 40-60 u/mL
• Less than 1:80 (1 to 80) titer

A low number (normal result) usually means you do not have rheumatoid arthritis or Sjogren syndrome. However, some people who do have these conditions still have a "normal" or low rheumatoid factor (RF).

Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

• Most patients with rheumatoid arthritis or Sjogren syndrome have positive RF tests.
• The higher the level, the more likely one of these conditions is present. There are also other tests for these disorders that help make the diagnosis.
• Not everyone with higher levels of rheumatoid factor has rheumatoid arthritis or Sjogren syndrome.

Your provider may do another blood test (anti-CCP antibody) to help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis.

People with the following diseases may also have higher levels of rheumatoid factor:

• Scleroderma
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Adult Still's disease
• Dermatomyositis
• Sarcoidosis

Higher-than-normal levels of RF may be seen in people with other medical problems. However, these higher RF levels cannot be used to diagnose these other conditions:

The joints that are most commonly affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis are the joints most commonly used in everyday usage such as fingers, knees, legs and feet.

There are a number of support groups made up of people that suffer fro Rheumatoid arthritis. They are spread all over the world. The best thing to do if you are looking for fellow RA sufferers is to type "RA support groups" into your browser and pick out the one that tickles your fancy.

ESR or Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate is a used to check for inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a response that is mounted by the body's immune system due to some kind of trigger like infection or as part of the genetic programming mistakes that can sometimes happen in the body. At many times, one would not even know that there is inflammation in the body. This is usually what happens in the case of autoimmune diseases that systematically destroy organs and important tissues, with

ESR blood testing done when there is a suspicion of an inflammatory process happening in the body. While ESR tests can indicate that there is inflamation in the system it doesn't indicate the cause of the inflammation . For this reason, other tests need to be conducted like complete blood counts for white blood cells and lymphocytes. Another test that is generally conducted is the C-reactive protein test. ESR and CRP blood tests can generally make for a more definitive diagnosis about the presence of inflammation.

When you are diagnosed with a high ESR, which is calculated by dividing your age by 2 that will give you a value to which you add the metric mm/hr. Women should add 10 to their age and then perform the division. If your ESR is high, it means that you should also ask for a C-reactive protein test and a complete white blood cell count. ESR is only an indication that something is wrong with the body and that it requires further investigation. Ensure that your doctor has the correct equipment to perform these tests. The CRP test is something that won't be available in hospitals that are below a certain standard.

I have had Rheumatoid arthritis for many years and have found that after about an hour of normal activity You are fine again. unless there is some sort of major damage in the joint.

I was not able to find the exact information you are looking for, however I did find some info on sulfadiazine. which amounted to Avoid using any sulfanamides. I wil put a link in the related links below named (methotrexate ⇔ sulfadiazine) and wil also put the drug interactions site I got it from below that, (named Drug interactions with methotrexate) If I can make a suggestion. Being in basically the same situation as you I have found that metho trexate can cause skin irritations to linger and have been prescribed steroidal cremes to take care of it However aside from the stuff not being particularly good for you it is also expensive. I have now replaced it with tea tree oil and it works like a charm. In the case of the sunburn try hitting it with aloe vera, straight from the plant if you can, or get some creme that contains alloe vera. Tea tree oil would tend to sting a Little on the burn.

There are no known interactions between sulfadiazine and prednisone

However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. ALWAYS consult with your doctor or pharmacist.

Sulfadiazine is in the drug class sulfonamides.

Sulfadiazine is used to treat the following conditions: Rheumatic Fever Prophylaxis, Toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasmosis, Prophylaxis.