I Was Diagnosed With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Now What?

It’s estimated that around 1.5 Million Americans are living with the autoimmune disease of Rheumatoid Arthritis. It can be a painful disorder where the body attacks its own healthy cells leaving patients with inflammation and damaged joints. Avera Rheumatologist, Dr. Mark Vercel, answers questions about what comes next after you or a loved one is diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

When should I see a rheumatologist?

So the diagnosis in most cases comes after a prolonged episode of swelling and stiffness in most cases. And I tend to find that patients maybe have had subtle symptoms that were going on for a little while before they start to have the more prominent swelling and stiffness. And so I think that that's the hallmark of what we see in the majority of rheumatoid arthritis patients. It has a predisposition for things like the small joints, the hands, the wrists, the feet, the ankles, and can be relatively disabling when it first starts.

How much will my life change after a Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis?

Typically establishing with a rheumatologist is the next step to help confirm the diagnosis. I think one of the misconceptions that we often see in in our field is that a lab test can give a diagnosis in and of itself, and certainly that's not the case. We usually have to combine it with a combination of things like a joint exam and the history of these things kind of going on. And so it can be a tricky diagnosis to establish. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is chronic. And so it's typically a lifelong disease that requires lifelong treatment. The good part about being a rheumatologist is that the agents that we have to treat have continued to progress and evolve, and the prognosis is generally quite good anymore because of the ability to help regulate these factors.

What are some healthy habits to adopt to help manage symptoms?

So I told patients that have rheumatoid arthritis and patients that don't have rheumatoid arthritis, similar things which is stretch every day, every single day. I think so many of our aches and pains are secondary mechanical factors, not from the immune system. And having rheumatoid arthritis, you're still going to get the wear and tear type of step two that you would normally get even if you didn't have RA. Other things that are helpful or recognition of the increased cardiovascular risk associated with long term rheumatoid arthritis and so healthy lifestyle habits and a Mediterranean diet, staying active at aerobics, all these things are all quite helpful and give better response for joint mobility over time.

What is the biggest takeaway that you hope patients and readers get from this conversation?

I think that Rheumatoid Arthritis, while it is a lifelong diagnosis, is a very treatable diagnosis. Over the last 20 years, we've seen dramatic changes in the landscape of therapies and remission is something that we try for, for everybody. While treatment is usually lifelong in some form or another, part of what is enjoyable about being a rheumatologist is frequently checking with our patients, reassessing how they're feeling, developing those relationships and trying to help them guide therapeutic decisions over time.