Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis (Treatment Options)

… Continued …

Arthroscopy

It is a procedure of surgery that uses a special device called arthroscope (a thin tube equipped with a camera and light source). It is one of common choices to help remove the inflamed tissue of the joint.

During surgery, the specialist will insert arthroscope into the affected joint through a small cut to help observe the joint and determine the damaged tissue that should be treated or removed. Then other surgical instruments are inserted to remove the inflamed tissue.

This surgery is pretty quick and you are usually not recommended to stay overnight in the hospital. But you need to rest the affected joint for a couple of days.

The key is controlling the inflammatory process of RA.

As well we know, again RA is a systemic disorder. The inflammation can spread throughout the body, causing complications that have nothing to do with arthritis-like problems.

Sufferers with RA are also at high risk of cardiovascular diseases, lung problems, eye diseases, and osteoporosis. So, it is not only about the risk of joint damage!

And if the disease has caused the complications mentioned above, treating the widespread inflammation of RA is still the major goal – but other medications are usually required to treat the complication that has occurred.

For example, if you have both RA and heart disease, you still need to take the main treatments for RA such as DMARDs or/and biologic agents to control the inflammation. But your doctor may also prescribe medications to help lower your blood pressure since RA itself has contribution to cause hypertension!