What is Rheumatoid arthritis?

A chronic inflammatory disorder known as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) can affect many joints in the body like hands and feet, making everyday activities difficult to do. RA is a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its tissue, including joints. In severe cases, it attacks internal organs.

In addition to joint pain and stiffness, people with RA may also experience fatigue, fever, and weight loss. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is still unknown, but it is thought to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, there is no possible cure for RA but treatments can help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, but it is most common in adults between the ages of 40 to 60. Women are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than men.

Can young people also suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis?

RA is more likely to be detected in middle-aged people but young adults might also have a chance of getting diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis. 8 out of 100,000 people can get RA between the age of 18-34.  It may sound rare but it can bring a lot of complications.

You are more likely to have inflammation in the smaller joints of your fingers and toes and have bony erosions more than those who get rheumatoid arthritis later in age. There’s also a higher likelihood you’ll have rheumatoid nodules. These are small, solid swellings of your skin with a strong correlation amongst your joints.

The fundamental principles of managing rheumatoid arthritis are to restore impaired function, effectively manage symptoms, and effectively control the adverse effects of inflammation.

Know the Causes:

Studies indicate that many contributing factors may be the reason for the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis in young people. Here, we provide you with a rundown of several of them.

• Family History: If anyone in the family has rheumatoid arthritis, then they are at greater risk of suffering from it.
• Smoking: Cigarette smoking affects the level of risk of rheumatoid arthritis in the adolescent population, particularly if there is a particular predisposition for the development of the condition.
• Excess weight: The body’s metabolism can be increased or decreased by over-eating and being overweight or obese, which raises the chance of arthritis.

Symptoms that you should notice

• Pain, swelling, stiffness, and tenderness in the joints are signs of an injury that can hinder your daily routine. In some cases, pain and stiffness can make it difficult to do routine activities, even when one wants to.
• The stiffness that sets in in the course of the morning is due to not moving and sitting in one place.
• Heavy tiredness can also be noticed in many individuals.
• A weakness that will prevent you from working efficiently.
• Other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can also include fever.
• In rheumatoid arthritis, loss of appetite is often one of the signs. Here, you will not feel like eating food.

What can be the possible treatments for young adults?

If we study closely then the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis in young people and aged people do not differ much. Older patients may be impaired by particular underlying factors. The younger and healthy you are, the more likely you are to be offered a range of treatment options. The inflammation in the joint can potentially worsen if suitable measures aren’t taken.

After young adults undergo physical therapy, it involves a suggestion of psychotherapy to address joint stiffness and pain. If that is not successful, different pharmaceuticals are typically tried until a suitable course of action is found.

Some medicines prescribed can provide great results, yet regular symptom monitoring is necessary so that you can be certain that your symptoms are found and controlled promptly if they are unusual. The idea is to trace the cause of any sudden symptoms.

Bottom Line

People at a young age can go through some emotional damage when they are diagnosed with such a long-time disease, but they should know that illness like this can be managed by medications and through some exercises which your doctor might recommend. Treatment at the young age of RA is easy because at the adolescent age body can go through some vigorous treatments which can help you to lessen the symptoms and complications.

The best and first treatment is to recognise early signs and symptoms and consult a doctor as soon as possible to avoid any complications associated with it.