Lupus Vs Rheumatoid Arthritis: How To Tell The Difference

admin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:17:32 +0000

Since they are both autoimmune disorders in which the body turns inwardly and causes harm, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are often mistaken for the other. So, how do you differentiate between these two almost impossible to diagnose these diseases because the clinical symptoms and laboratory abnormalities tend to have in common with each other.

Both of afflict women much more frequently than men. They are also both multisystem diseases, meaning, they can affect many organs. Like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis zeroes in and causes damage to the blood vessels. Both diseases disrupt the normal function of the immune system, resulting in damaged tissues.

Lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus, is a complex disease whose cause is still undetermined. It can affect many parts of the body including joints, skin, and internal organs. Usually, the person develops a rash in the shape of a butterfly on the cheeks and across the bridge of the nose. Other symptoms include fatigue, hair loss, inflammation of the kidney, mouth sores, sensitivity to light, fever, and weight loss.

Like lupus, the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. It usually affects the wrists, fingers, knees, feet, and ankles. The disease usually begins to manifest itself with fatigue and weakness, morning stiffness that lasts for more than an hour, widespread muscle aches, and loss of appetite.

People afflicted with lupus usually feels pain in the joints, but this pain is not associated with actual damage to the join itself. In some cases, there is also swelling, but majority of lupus sufferers experience pain in the joints without swelling. In rheumatoid arthritis, however, there is always swelling of the lining of the joints. This swollen lining is called the synovium. Pain is commonly felt by patients, but it is less prominent compared to that of lupus.

One person can suffer from both lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. When rheumatoid-like symptoms are felt by lupus patients, including deformities of the joint, he or she should be given medicines for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Standard RA treatments like methotrexate,sulfalazine, and, in some cases, more potent to control joint inflammation.

Discover more about Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis and more Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms at anaudlife.com

Lupus And Facts About Joint Function Joint pain and stiffness is a very common symptom to...
Lupus And Facts About Joint Function Joint pain and stiffness is a very common symptom to...

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Causes of Fibromyalgia

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:53:31 +0000

Although there is no exact treatment for fibromyalgia, but some preventive measures can be taken to get rid of it. Presently doctors are concentrating on managing pain, relaxing muscles and reduced depression. Doctors prescribe patients, low-stress exercises such as walking, swimming, water aerobics, and biking rather than muscle-straining exercises such as weight training. Some other measures are heat applied to sore muscles, stretching exercises (Pilates is one form.) and massage.

As there is no specific medicine for fibromyalgia, doctors try to reduce the pain and increase the sleep. In order to achieve that following types of medicines are prescribed:

Analgesics: Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may reduce the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. However, its effectiveness varies with individuals. Tramadol (Ultram) is a pain reliever medicine that may be taken with or without acetaminophen. Doctors often recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Anaprox, Aleve) — in combination with other medications, but NSAIDs haven’t proven to be useful in control the pain in fibromyalgia when taken by themselves.

Antidepressants: Doctors advise antidepressant medications, such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor) or doxepin (Sinequan) to help deep and uninterrupted sleep. Fluoxetine (Prozac) in mixture with amitriptyline has also been found efficient. Sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) are also effective for the patients suffering from depression. These medications may be beneficial by affecting serotonin levels in the brain.

Muscle relaxants: Taking the medication cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) at bedtime may help to take care of muscle pain and spasms.

Doctors strictly oppose consumption of sleeping pills and pain killers. Patients sometimes take them for quick relief, but the effect is very short term while the side-effect lasts for a long term. These medicines are type of narcotic, so these are very harmful for the patients.

Some self made measures can also be effective to prevent fibromyalgia. These procedures can be exercised in home. The measures are:

* Proper workout include walking, swimming, biking and water aerobics. A physical therapist may help you develop a home exercise program.

* Stretching, Free-hands, Good posture and relaxation workouts are also helpful.

* Develop a plan to avoid or limit over-exertion and poignant stress. Give yourself time each day to rest.

* Exercise stress lessening techniques, such as deep-breathing exercises, meditation and Yoga.

* Leading a very healthy and simple lifestyle can also help to prevent fibromyalgia.

Abhijit Dey works on Fibromyalgia awareness and gives you the brief knowledge on Fibromyalgia. For more queries please visit Fibromyalgia

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Lupus Vs Rheumatoid Arthritis: How To Tell The Difference

Causes of Fibromyalgia