Wockhardt Hospitals, Nagpur, is creating awareness about Autoimmune diseases, including inflammation-driven arthritis. Lack of awareness leads to delayed diagnosis, damage and deformities of joints, and limited ability to perform self-care and activities. Education about these diseases in the general population is the need of the hour. On 20th May every year, World Autoimmune Arthritis Day is celebrated.
Dr. Saurabh Chahande (Consultant Rheumatologist) at Wockhardt Hospitals Nagpur said, ” Arthritis, as the term states, is inflammation of joints. It occurs when our immune system attacks the body’s healthy cells, especially joints. This disease is not just limited to joints; it can affect multiple organs such as the eyes, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and skin.”
There are Common Autoimmune Arthritis, like…
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic auto-inflammatory disease that affects more than one joint, and the symptoms occur on both sides of the body.
Psoriatic Arthritis develops gradually after the onset of psoriasis, a skin condition characterized by rashes that cause scales or patches over the skin.
Reactive Arthritis frequently strikes people of the age group 20-50 years. It develops as a result of an infection caused by bacteria.
Ankylosing Spondylitis is common in those with HLA-B27 gene mutation, it mainly affects spine and pelvic bone.
Possible Symptoms Of Autoimmune Arthritis
Dr. Saurabh Chahande said, “Low-grade Fever, Joint pain with stiffness (especially in the morning), Deformity of joints, Warmth and Swelling over joints, Weakness, Loss of appetite, Unexplained weight loss, skin rashes and nodules and lot more are symptoms of Autoimmune Arthritis
Common Causes of Autoimmune Arthritis:
Obesity: Being overweight can worsen inflammation.
Gender: Women, especially postmenopausal women, are subjected to autoimmune arthritis due to the influence of estrogen.
Smoking: It increases the risk of autoimmune arthritis by triggering inflammatory mediators.
Hereditary: There are specific genetic factors that run through the family.
Autoimmune arthritis is related to causing lots of complications such as heart failure and inflammation of the heart muscle, severe anaemia, certain types of cancer, scarring of lung tissues, and stroke. Therefore, it is better that you consult a rheumatologist if you have any of the symptoms mentioned above.
Dr. Saurabh Chahande suggested seven ways to alleviate inflammation :
1) Incorporate gentle movement
2) Consider getting Vitamins, Minerals, Hormones and gut tested.
3) Reduce stress if possible.
4) Stay hydrated.
5) Get outside into direct sunshine.
6) Avoid inflammatory trigger foods/ consider a short-term fast.
7) Get extra sleep
Dr. further added Treatment modalities include steroids, DMARDs, Biologicals, etc, which require proper dosages and follow-up for tapering the dosages. To summarise, all rheumatological diseases can be well controlled with medication compliance, regular follow-up, and treatment aims for a near-normal healthy life.
Dr. Saurabh Chahande is MD –General Medicine, DNB – General Medicine, Fellowship in Rheumatology (CMC Vellore) and has 8 years of experience. Dr. Saurabh Chahande is a knowledgeable and experienced Rheumatologist available for patients at Wockhardt Hospitals Nagpur.
About Wockhardt Hospitals Ltd.:
Wockhardt Hospitals is a chain of tertiary care super-speciality hospitals with facilities in Nagpur, Rajkot, South Mumbai & North Mumbai. All Wockhardt Hospitals have state-of-the-art infrastructure and globally benchmarked processes to enable Patient Care & Safety. Wockhardt Hospitals Ltd. is a tertiary care hospital and one of the few professionally managed corporate hospital groups in the country which prioritizes patient safety and quality of care at the core of its strategy. The guiding philosophy is to serve and enrich the Quality of Life of patients.