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The Prognosis Is Better Than Ever
With technological advancements facilitating accurate diagnosis and
new medications treating both the symptoms and the sources of rheumatoid arthritis,
coping with this disease is a lot less painful than it used to be.
One in three American
adults suffer from arthritis
or some form of chronic joint
pain. Women are 1.5 times
more likely to develop
arthritis than men, and
although most people think
of it as a condition of the
elderly, arthritis can affect
anyone at any age. These
are facts that 48-year-old
Lincroft resident Andrea
Eckhoff knows only too well.
A Frightening Discovery
When Andrea was only 45,
she was diagnosed with
rheumatoid arthritis.
When her first symptoms
appeared — overall stiffness
and knee pain — she ignored
them. "I didn’t even know it
was something serious. I just
passed it off as getting older,"
says Andrea, who spends a
lot of time on her feet as a
substitute schoolteacher.
But six months later, while making
her bed, Andrea’s hands tightened
up so badly, she couldn’t even pick up
the sheets. Then her wrists, shoulders,
elbows, knees, and ankles cramped up,
and she couldn’t move at all, not even
to call out to her family for help.
She knew then that something
was seriously wrong and that it
was time to seek medical advice.
Her primary care physician referred
her to Edward C. Allegra, M.D.,
and Richard Haddad, M.D.,
rheumatologists affiliated with
Riverview Medical Center.
Targeted Treatment
Once Dr. Allegra made the
diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis,
he prescribed prednisone
(reduces inflammation),
methotrexate (blocks action of
the immune system), Humira
(slows joint damage), and Advil.
The results have been "terrific,"
Andrea says. "And I tell everyone
who knows me: Although I can’t
wear high heels and I get tired
easily, I could complain, but
I don’t. I’m still able to teach,
and I certainly don’t take walking
for granted anymore. I’ve been
at the same steady level of
medicine for the past two years
and have very good checkups
every three months. Dr. Allegra
took care of everything."
A Medical Milestone
There are two forms of arthritis:
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint
disease that results in the deterioration
of the bones and cartilage that make
up the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is
an autoimmune form of the disease;
it occurs when the body’s immune
system mistakenly attacks itself,
causing severe inflammation, swelling,
and eventual damage of the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs more
frequently in those aged 25 to 50,
and although it affects only one-tenth
as many people as osteoarthritis,
it can be far more debilitating.
Just a few years ago, according to
Dr. Allegra, physicians were able to
treat only the symptoms of rheumatoid
arthritis, not the underlying causes. Survival rates mirrored that of Stage IV
cancer — that’s how aggressive this
disease is. But now, with new drugs,
like those prescribed for Andrea, and
with advanced diagnostic technology,
such as musculoskeletal ultrasound,
patients no longer have to experience
the characteristic "crumpled" hands or
extreme pain of rheumatoid arthritis.
"The way we treat rheumatoid
arthritis has been turned on its head,"
attests Dr. Allegra. "It is not the grim
prognosis it used to be." The important
thing, Dr. Allegra stresses, is to get the
word out to patients and their primary
care physicians so that rheumatoid
arthritis can be treated early, correctly,
and aggressively.
 – Diane Gribbin
Although both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
have their own set of symptoms, the following are common
to all forms of arthritis:
- Constant or recurring pain or tenderness in a joint
- Stiffness and difficulty using or moving a joint normally
- Swelling in and around one or more joints
- Fatigue
- Warmth and redness in a joint
- Difficulty performing daily tasks, such as climbing stairs and opening jars
If you are experiencing similar symptoms, speak to your primary
care physician about a referral to a rheumatologist, a physician
who is specially trained and experienced in diagnosing and
treating arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles, and bones.
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