Rheumatism treatment

Written By The HealthMeth Team - Updated On Saturday, February 13, 2021 7:00 PM

Rheumatism

Disease rheumatism is one immune that affect different parts of the human body, where chronic inflammation occurs in the joints and connective tissues , causing swelling and severe pain patient system diseases.


Rheumatism is caused by a defect in the immune system. Instead of protecting the body from bacteria or viruses that attack the body, the immune system mistakenly attacks the connective tissues inside the joints and other organs of the human body such as the lungs , skin, eyes, heart, and blood vessels, and as a result of that inflammation occurs bone erosion and joint deformities, and in cases Severe rheumatism causes the patient's physical and functional disability. [1]


Types of rheumatism

Rheumatism is divided into two types: [2]

  • The first type : non-inflammatory diseases, where erosion occurs in the joints without the occurrence of inflammation in the surrounding tissues, and includes degenerative osteoporosis disease and osteoporosis .
  • The second type : inflammatory diseases that affect the bones, joints, and muscles, and are divided into two types:
    • Inflammatory diseases are not articulated: they affect connective tissues and muscles, such as scleroderma, lupus erythematosus, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, and other diseases.
    • Inflammatory joint diseases: affecting the joints and surrounding tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, rheumatic fever, cardiac rheumatism , ankylosing spondylitis, Cushing's syndrome, and other diseases.


Rheumatic fever

It is a type of inflammatory rheumatic disease that occurs suddenly after tonsillitis. It is caused by the streptococcus , and this disease is accompanied by some symptoms, including: [3]

  • General weakness and loss of appetite .
  • It causes inflammation of the pericardium and is the most dangerous, as it may lead to cardiac rheumatism or heart failure.
  • The joint is usually larger, swollen and red, and is painful to the touch. The most commonly affected joints are the knees, wrists, elbows, and ankles.
  • Inflammation affects the nervous system, which leads to Sydenham's chorea, in which rapid, involuntary, inconsistent and irregular vibrational movements occur, and in severe cases affects the muscles of the arms, calf, and face performance, Some tasks, such as controlling the holding of the pen when writing, and the ability to speak correctly.
  • Sometimes a red rash appears two to four weeks after being infected with streptococcus.


Causes of rheumatic disease

Rheumatism occurs because the immune system attacks the tissues surrounding the joints, and until now scientists were unable to determine the cause of this imbalance in the immune system, but they found that there are factors that increase the risk of developing rheumatic disease, including: [1]

  • Sex: It was found that the incidence of females is higher than males.
  • Age: Although rheumatism can occur at any age, it is more common in the 40-60 age group.
  • Genetic history: Having a person with rheumatism increases the likelihood that his relatives will have the disease.
  • Smoking.
  • Obesity.
  • Infection with a bacterial or viral infection, as in the case of rheumatic fever.
  • Continuous exposure to cold and moisture. [4]


Rheumatism treatment

There is no definitive treatment for rheumatism of all kinds, but the symptoms of the disease are alleviated and its progression is reduced by using various drugs such as pain relievers and cortisone , as well as teaching the patient to adopt new methods to carry out his daily activities, and the use of assistive devices to reduce stress and pressure on the joints and bones. [5]


In the event of rheumatic fever, the treatment is focused on resting in bed during the active phase of the disease, and the patient remains in bed until the temperature subsides and the arthritis and heart subsides as well, and then the patient is advised to move gradually, in addition to drug treatment. [6]


Drug treatment

  • Penicillin or antibiotics : It is used to eliminate the bacteria that cause inflammation, as in the case of rheumatic fever, where the remains of the streptococcus bacteria are treated, and phenoxymethylpenicillin is used, and it is given orally 250 milligrams every 6 hours a day, or 500 milligrams every 12 hours for ten days. [7] In the case of a penicillin allergy, erythromycin or tetracycline antagonists are used.
  • Aspirin : a rheumatism patient is given 3 grams / day in divided into several doses, and a rheumatic fever patient is given 80 mg / kg / day in four equal doses, not exceeding 6.5 grams per day, and after one to two weeks the dose is reduced to 60-70 mg / day Kilograms / day, and aspirin is considered very effective in treating this disease. [8]
  • Corticosteroids : works to reduce inflammation and pain, and slow down the deterioration of joints and tissues, as the patient is given 60-120 milligrams per day in four divided doses until the symptoms of the disease subside, and the rate of red blood cell sedimentation reaches normal, and then the dose is not stopped suddenly, but rather It is gradually reduced over a period of two weeks. [9]
  • Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs : These drugs are given to slow the progression of the disease and protect the joints from permanent deformation, for example methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine . [1]
  • As for chorea, it will be the most difficult to treat in patients with rheumatic fever . This is due to the involuntary movements that interfere with the patient's performance of his daily functions. Therefore, the patient must first be placed in a calm environment and use of sedatives , the most famous of which is haloperidol. Carbamazepine, which is used in treating spasms, has also been proven to be effective for treating this disease. [10]


Herbal remedy

There are other methods of treating rheumatism with herbs , but it has not yet been proven how effective these herbs are in relieving symptoms of rheumatism, so the patient should consult a doctor before using them to avoid any complications, including:

  • Ginger : Works ginger to treat infections associated with rheumatism. [11]
  • Willow leaves : Leaves can be eaten directly by chewing, or used dry and ground, and a teaspoon or two tablespoons are added to boiling water and drunk daily in the morning and evening, and it is used to relieve joint pain. [12]
  • Grapefruit juice : It is used to reduce inflammation of the tissues of the joints, as it is recommended to drink one cup per day. [13]
  • Aloe vera : Its healing properties are used to relieve joint pain. [14]
  • Camphor oil : to relieve joint pain; Mix a tablespoon of ground camphor with a hot, not boiled cup of coconut oil, and massage the painful area with it. [15]
  • Cinnamon : Cinnamon contains anti-rheumatic substances. [16]
  • Black seed oil : can eat oil capsules bean black twice daily to relieve swelling of the joints and morning stiffness period. [17]


Other topics on rheumatism

Read about: ( Rheumatism ) .

Read about: ( Symptoms of Rheumatism ) .

Read about: ( Rheumatology Diagnosis ) .

Read about: ( Prevention of rheumatism ) .

Read about: ( Future course of rheumatism ) .


References

  1. ^ A b T. Mayo , Clinic Staff (18-3-2016), "Rheumatoid Arthritis" , Mayo , Clinic , Retrieved 30-11-2016. Edited.
  2. Dr Ananya Mandal (7-3-2013), “Types of Rheumatism” , News Medical Life sciences , Retrieved 11-30-2016. Edited.
  3. WebMD Staff, "Understanding rheumatic fever-basics" , WebMD , Retrieved 1-12-2016. Edited.
  4. Arthritis & Osteoporosis Western South Australia , Australia Staff, "Aches And Pain During And by cold wet - Weather" , Arthritis & Osteoporosis Western South Australia , Australia , Retrieved 2-12-2016. Edited.
  5. Mayo Clinic Staff (3-18-2016), “Rheumatoid arthritis-treatment , Mayo Clinic , Retrieved 2-12-2016. Edited.
  6. Medscape Staff, "Rheumatic Fever treatment and management" , emedicine.medscape.com , Retrieved 2-12-2016. Edited.
  7. Medscape Staff, "Penicillin-VK" , Medscape , Retrieved 2-12-2016. Edited.
  8. Drug.com Staff, "Aspirin Dosage" , Drug.cm , Retrieved 2-12-2016. Edited.
  9. ^ K. George Mathew, Praveen Aggarwal (2008), medince prep manual undergraduates , India: Elsevier, Page 405. Edited.
  10. Medscape Staff, "Chorea Gravidarum treatment and management" , Medscape , Retrieved 2-12-2016. Edited.
  11. "how-ginger-helps-in-rheumatoid-arthritis" , natural art hritis treatments . Edited.
  12. Natural arthritis treatments Staff, "Can willow bark help in rheumatoid arthritis" , natural arthritist reatments , Retrieved 3-12-2016. Edited.
  13. "why-grapefruit-is-good-for-rheumatoid-arthritis" , natural art hritis treatments . Edited.
  14. Kristeen Cherney (8-10-2013), "9herbs To Fight Arthritis" , Healthline , Retrieved 3-12-2016. Edited.
  15. Bhakti Paun Sharma (29-9-2015), "quick homemade oil to relieve joint pain" , the health site , Retrieved 3-12-2016. Edited.
  16. Natural arthritis treatments staff, "cinnamon for arthritis" , natural arthritis treatments , Retrieved 3-12-2016. Edited.
  17. Faculty of medicine \ Cairo (26-8-2012), "Effectiveness of Nigella sativa oil in the management of rheumatoid arthritis patients: a placebo controlled study." , PubMed.org , Retrieved 3-12-2016. Edited.