Rhumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis In Women

Written by John Sinatra

Women make up the majority of the 1.2 million rhumatoid arthritis sufferers in America. The disease is more than three times as likely to impact women than men, and the majority of recent research suggests that the disease may also be tougher on women than men. Understanding how this disease specifically affects women is important for the hundreds of thousands of female arthritis sufferers to cope with this potentially debilitating disease. Rhumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes the body's immune system to attack the lining of the joints. As this lining wears down over time, people with rhumatoid arthritis can experience severe joint pain and damage to the joints and bones. The illness can be debilitating, and causes many patients to be unable to work or enjoy much physical activity without pain. The disease can also attack the heart, liver and kidneys. Recent research suggests that the rate of rhumatoid arthritis in women is on the rise. According to the Mayo Clinic, the rate of rhumatoid arthritis in women has increased by nearly 50 percent in recent years, while the rate of the illness in men has held steady. Why us? The specific cause of rhumatoid arthritis remains unknown, and there also is no definitive answer concerning why rhumatoid arthritis is more likely to impact women than men. Researchers believe that hormones could be a factor in the increased likelihood of women developing rhumatoid arthritis, however. Hormones related to menstruation, pregnancy and breast feeding are also linked to the immune system, so during times when these hormones are changing, such as menopause, the risk of developing rhumatoid arthritis increases. Interestingly enough, pregnancy can reduce rhumatoid arthritis symptoms. Women with the illness who become pregnant often see a marked reduction in their symptoms and the progression of the disease. This is fortunate, as many of the medications used to treat rhumatoid arthritis can be harmful to a fetus. How it affects women Studies have shown that rhumatoid arthritis tends to cause more severe symptoms in women than men. Researchers believe that because women tend to be smaller and have less muscle tissue than men, the symptoms of the disease affect them more severely. Rhumatoid arthritis usually strikes women in between the ages of 30 and 60. The illness can have severe effects on women's stamina and can greatly increase their risk factor for heart disease and brittle bone disease (osteoporosis). Rhumatoid arthritis causes severe pain in the joints and can limit mobility. This tends to be more severe in women. The early symptoms of rhumatoid arthritis in women includes stiffness and swelling in the joints. A telltale sign of rhumatoid arthritis is pain in the same joints on either side of the body. Weakness and fatigue are common rhumatoid arthritis symptoms in women. Women report more pain and fatigue from the illness than their male counterparts. Rhumatoid arthritis has also been found to have an elevated impact on women's sleep, which may lead to increased rates of depression among women with the illness. Also, women with rhumatoid arthritis tend to have a reduced fertility rate, although this may be a side effect of drugs used to treat the illness. Rhumatoid arthritis can cause severe health complications in women, as nearly half of women with the illness develop inflammation in the lining for their lungs, making it difficult for them to breathe. The illness can also contribute to an increased risk of heart disease in women. About half of women with rhumatoid arthritis have symptoms that wax or wane, growing stronger and weaker at random. Over time, the disease can cause bone and cartilage deterioration, causing the joints to become malformed and misaligned, causing severe pain and loss of mobility. About one fifth of women with the illness also develop lumps under the skin near affected joints called rhumatoid nodules. Prevention There are a few ways, some of them women-specific, to help prevent rhumatoid arthritis. A recent study found that women who breast-fed their babies have a slightly lower risk of developing rhumatoid arthritis. The longer the women breast-fed their babies, the less the risk became. The overall risk reduction was found to be small however. Smoking has been found to be a contributing factor to developing rhumatoid arthritis. In fact, researchers have found that women who smoke have a xxx chance of developing the illness than female non-smokers. So, if the risk of lung cancer wasn't enough to make you want to quit before, perhaps the risk of developing rhumatoid arthritis will convince you to stop smoking. Vitamin D has also been found to help reduce the risk of developing rhumatoid arthritis. Drinking milk, responsible exposure to the sun and vitamin supplements can boost your daily intake of vitamin D.

 

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