A number of my rheumatoid arthritis patients have approached me about exercise: Is it safe? Will it worsen their joints? Should a person "fight through" the pain and stiffness and fatigue to keep on a routine exercise regimen? When a patient is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, the first and foremost goal should be to get the... Read more
Not too long ago, I wrote about the utility of the Rheumatoid Factor (RF) and the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody in diagnosing and prognosing rheumatoid arthritis. RF remains the granddaddy of the antibodies associated with rheumatoid arthritis, and is the only autoantibody included in the American College of Rheumatology... Read more
A couple of months back I wrote a blog discussing the concerns I and many others have regarding the return of severe gastrointestinal side effects as a result of the increasing use of the so-called traditional anti-inflammatories. This is of course to be expected due to the fears so many patients have now of the sole COX-2 inhibitor remaining on... Read more
While the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibiting drugs have been a great addition in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, it must be remembered that they have a failure rate in up to 40% of patients. Thus, B-lymphocyte cells became one more target; TNF is not the only thing that can be attacked and give improvement in rheumatoid arthritis. ... Read more
It is so easy to forget that arthritis is not the only problem we see with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly when the disease is labeled and named an ARTHRITIS. However, the so-called extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis can cause significant disability, even death. It must not be forgotten that rheumatoid arthritis is... Read more
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