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New Treatments Can Control Rheumatoid Arthritis; Modern Drugs, Exercises Help Protect Joints

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 December 2005, 12:00 CST

By Ask Dr. Ramo BARRY RAMO For the Journal

Q: I've had arthritis for several years and recently my doctor did some tests and told me I have rheumatoid arthritis. The term is frightening and I have a picture of myself becoming crippled. Is there anything that I can do about it? I took a drug called prednisone for several years and it helped a lot but my doctor said I shouldn't be taking it because it would make my bones thin.

A: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness that causes inflammation of the lining of your joints. It can sometimes lead to long-term damage and loss of function but new treatments are changing the course of the disease.

We don't know what causes the disease and so far there is no cure, but it can be controlled with the use of new drugs, exercise and techniques to protect your joints.

The pain relief for patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be achieved with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents or drugs like prednisone. Prednisone can cause osteoporosis if used for a long period of time.

The modern way to treat this disease is with disease-modifying drugs. The drugs deal with the fact that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease and results in your body building an immunity to its own tissues. The response is an attempt by your immune system to destroy your joints. Such drugs as methotrexate, infiximad and lelunomide are now used early on to try to slow the progression of the disease and, in some cases, prevent damage to the joints.

With your diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, it would be best for you to see a rheumatologist to be certain the diagnosis is correct and that you are receiving medication, as well as advice on exercise, diet and jointinjury prevention methods.

Most people with this disease don't become crippled, but if untreated, crippling changes to the joints can occur.

Q: I have been on diets most of my life, and over the course of time I might lose some weight but it seems to come right back. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Your story is extremely common. Even in diet studies using medication, most people seem to gain back their weight after a year or two. Keeping weight off means a lifestyle change, which usually includes an exercise program that helps you burn calories and increase the rate of your body's metabolism.

Two recent studies, however, suggest that how often you weigh yourself might determine whether you keep your weight off. One study of more than 2,000 people in a weightloss program found the individuals who never weighed themselves were much more likely to gain weight after a year than people who weighed themselves daily, monthly or weekly.

A similar finding in a weight-gain prevention program found that individuals who weighed themselves daily tended to lose weight over the course of a year, whereas those who never weighed tended to gain weight.

I don't think people should become obsessed with the scale, but the studies suggest that watching your weight on a regular basis might help you keep it off. That way you won't suddenly discover you have gained back 10 pounds that you previously had lost.

Dr. Barry Ramo is a cardiologist with the New Mexico Heart Institute and medical editor for KOAT-TV. Send questions for him to Albuquerque Journal Boomer, P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103, or e-mail them to judyg@abqjournal.com.

Source: Albuquerque Journal

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