The Rise of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Indian Population – Symptoms, Treatment and Causes

India as we know is gradually becoming a hot spot for Rheumatoid Arthritis. If research studies are to be believed by Springer, “The prevalence of RA in India is quite similar to that reported from the developed countries. ” To address this prevalent medical issue, let’s dive deep into this with this blogpost. We will dissect its causes, symptoms, preventive measures and impactful treatments that are available to easily manage rheumatoid arthritis. 

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory ailment that mainly impacts joints which, more often than not leads to stiffness, pain and swelling. Its severity can also cause joint deformity if this doesn’t get the required intervention at the right time.

What causes Rheumatoid Arthritis?

To put is simply, Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. In which, the immune system of the body confuses and mistakenly attacks healthy tissues in the body. When it comes to rheumatoid arthritis the body’s immune system attacks the synovial membrane which causes inflammation in the body with further joint damage. Having said that, the exact cause of this specific medical ailment is still unknown but there are quite a few conditions that can strengthen your chances of getting diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Some of them are:

1. Genetic Predisposition: Like many diseases, rheumatoid arthritis is no exception to genetic predisposition. Owing to family history, rheumatoid arthritis runs in families as well. Hence, if someone in your family was diagnosed or has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, you too could be prone to get diagnosed from it.
2. Environmental Factors: Owing to the extremities of the kind of environment we live in today, such as constant exposure to pollutants, bad AQI, microplastics can impact or rather abnormally activate the immune system in predisposed individuals.
3. Lifestyle choices: In the current landscape, lifestyle plays quite a significant role in deciding the fate of your health. Nowadays, not just the adults, even the young ones are suffering from obesity, diabetes, hyper tension due to excessive smoking, consumption of ultra-processed food. These lifestyle factor influence the diagnosis and worsen the condition of those who already have been diagnosed.
4. Hormonal Factors: According to a study published in PubMed, women are more likely to be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis than men. To substantiate this claim, the research paper goes on to elucidate that “There is strong evidence that autoimmunity is under genetic control, and genes in sexual chromosomes can play a role in supporting the female prevalence. On the other hand, it is widely accepted that sex hormones--estrogens in particular--may regulate the immune response by favoring the survival of forbidden autoreactive clones and ultimately the prevalence of autoimmunity in women. Accordingly, estrogens have been suggested to be associated with the development of RA.”

Now that we have covered what could lead to rheumatoid arthritis, let’s dig deep into what are the main symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis? 

Chief symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis progress gradually but can depend from one person to another. Some of them are:

1. Joint stiffness and pain – Pain in joint that persists starting from swelling, stiffness, and ache across joints in the body like wrists, knees, hands etc. The nature of stiffness gets worse due to the lack in bodily movements for a significant period of time.
2. Malaise and general fatigue – Individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis suffer a great deal of low-grade fever, general malaise, and extreme fatigue. These symptoms are referred to as systemic symptoms.
3. Symmetrical Symptoms – As the name suggests, rheumatoid arthritis impact the body in a symmetrical way. If one joint suffers from inflammation, the other joint too is likely to suffer from a similar impact inflammation.
4. Knots and Deformities – No treatment or diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis for a considerable amount of time can lead to the formation of hard lumps of tissue known as rheumatoid nodules under the skin of the affected joints.

Treatment and measures for rheumatoid arthritis 

To put it boldly, there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Having said that, there are several preventive ways to prevent the flare ups and slow down the progression of this disease. Some of the key measures include lifestyle management and modifications in the existing way of living the life. Some of them are: 

1. Bodily movements and physical exercises: A consistent habit of including exercises such as long-walks, swimming, yoga, Pilates, cardio and strength training can ensure flexibility thereby reducing stiffness. Daily stretches are especially helpful to senior citizens and those who find exercises a tab bit challenging. As a bonus point of training daily, the muscles around the joints develop thereby providing cushioning to the joints.
2. Stress Management: Persistent stress can negatively impact rheumatoid arthritis. This stress could be work-related or general life stress. An individual can tackle or manage it with mindfulness, journaling, deep breathing exercises, and indulging in hobbies.
3. Lifestyle Modification: Quitting smoking and alcohol can positively impact your life and lessen the chances of rheumatoid arthritis flare up.
4. Anti-inflammatory Diet – In our daily life, we consume a lot of food items that can lead to inflammation in the body. These inflammatory foods can include processed items, sugar and red meat. To avoid rheumatoid arthritis, flare up due to food, one must eliminate those aforementioned inflammatory food items and start to consume a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and good fats.  

How to tackle rheumatoid arthritis? 

Upon diagnosis, one must be in regular touch with a rheumatologist who can chart a path to your treatment plan. The treatment plan can include medication such as biologics, corticosteroids, pain killers and complementary as well as alternative therapies. 

To conclude, the rise of rheumatoid arthritis signals a deep requirement of grassroot level action plan. But the first action that can address this is figuring out an advanced-tech hospital and a qualified rheumatologist. If you or loved ones have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, you can explore the top-notch treatment by the expert doctors/rheumatologists at Paras Health. Our facilities have the most sought-after treatment plans, doctors, support staff and advanced tools and machinery to assist the rheumatoid arthritis treatment, medication and therapy management. In case you need to talk to our health experts, please reach us at 08035358735.