Rheumatoid Arthritis Affecting The Human Body

Arthritis
By: Shelli Wagner & Mindy Sar
NURS 221
06/07/2013

Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more joints. A joint is the area where two bones meet (Teitel, 2012). According to LeMone and Burke (2008), there are more than 100 different types of arthritis, but the most common are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and gout (pg. 1433). This disease affects people of all ages, races, and ethnic groups. It is commonly seen in adults 65 years and older. In fact, in the United States over 46 million people have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, which is 1 out of every 5 adults. (“Arthritis”, 2012). According to the CDC (2011), the focus of treatment
According to Arthritis Today (n.d.), two of the simplest, least expensive and most effective methods of pain relief for the arthritis sufferer are cold and heat therapy. Nurses can educate about the benefits of heat therapy, such as heat pads or warm baths, which tend to work best for soothing stiff joints and tired muscles. Heat is also good for getting your body limber and ready for exercise or activities. Cold therapy is best for acute pain, numbing painful areas and decreasing inflammation and swelling. Furthermore, assistive devices such as splints or joints aids could be used for comfort measures. It is the nurses’ role to educate clients of the different options available for treatment. The goal of therapy is to reduce inflammation. It is the client’s preference which therapy or combinations of therapies are best for them. In addition to alternative therapies, medications can be implemented into the plan of
For example, a class of drugs that may be prescribed is corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory agents that may be injected or taken orally, although, they are not recommended to take more than two to four treatments per year (Teitel, 2012). Limited doses of corticosteroids are recommended because steroids can suppress the immune system causing danger to the patient. Also, another medication option is biologic drugs which include Enbrel, Humira, Rituxan, and Actemra that can only be given through injection or intravenous (IV) infusion. Nurses should educate the patient to watch for signs and symptoms of infection at the IV site which include redness, swelling, warmth, pain and tenderness. Biologic drugs can improve the quality of life for autoimmune arthritis patients, but the side effects can be very serious. Nurses should educate of the possible side effects of biolytic drugs which also include immune suppression allowing the patient to become more susceptible to infections (Teitel, 2012). Furthermore, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are another class of medication. It is used to slow the progression of the disease and also reduce signs and symptoms (“Arthritis” 2009). Different types of DMARDS include methotrexate, penicillamine, and sulfasalazine (Teitel, 2012). If non-pharmaceutical or pharmaceutical interventions are ineffective, surgery can be