rehumatic arthritis

My wife (34yr) has been found with RA factor positive. Range is 26.
I want to consult best doctor for this in New Delhi.
Will it be cured 100%.
What are DOs and DONTs for this.
Please revert.

Gautam Sahay

[carolanivey]

Hi Gautam,

Unfortunately, once you have RA it is not 100% curable. With time, she will find the right combination of medications to manage her condition so she can have a relatively normal life. With luck, she may go into remission, which means she could be symptom free, but she will still need to stay on medication to make sure she stays there.

The list of do's and don't's is too long to go into here, and it is different for every person who has RA. What helps some will not help others. A few basics, though:

- She must stay on a medication long enough to determine if it will work or not. This may take several weeks or months. Try not to be too afraid of reading the side effects of the medications - sometimes patients don't experience any of them. Again, it's individual to the patient.

- She needs adequate rest, which means many routine household chores may be too much for her right now. Things that used to be easy for her, like going to the store, may exhaust her. If you have young children, she will need help at home.

- Rest must be balanced with gentle, non-impact exercise and range-of-motion therapy to preserve joint function. Stationary cycling and pool exercise are ideal.

- Wrapping a swollen joint gently in an elastic bandage often helps ease swelling and pain.

- Many medications designed to ease swelling and pain cause stomach upset. Always take them with food.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.