RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS SYMPTOMS CAN BE SIMILAR FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. BUT NOW RESEARCH IS SHOWING THAT WOMEN HAVE MORE SEVERE SYMPTOMS. AND JOINING US NOW WITH MORE INFORMATION IS DOCTOR ERNESTINE WRIGHT FROM MERCY MEDICAL CENTER. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SO TELL ME WHY IS IT MORE SEVERE IN WOMEN? RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IS MORE SEVERE AND MORE COMMON IN WOMEN THAN MEN. IT’S THOUGHT THAT WOMEN HAVE A STRONGER AUTOIMMUNE SYSTEM, AND THEREFORE THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP AUTO ANTIBODIES, AND THEREFORE AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS LIKE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ARE A LOT MORE COMMON IN WOMEN THAN IN MEN. AND IT’S ALSO COMPLICATED. BUT ESTROGEN IS THOUGHT TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. WE FIND OUT THAT PREGNANT WOMEN DON’T TEND TO GET RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, BUT THEN THEIR RISK OF DEVELOPING RA INCREASES, PARTICULARLY IN THE FIRST YEAR AFTER HAVING A BABY. AND IT’S ALSO KNOWN THAT IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH A DROP IN ESTROGEN LEVELS, THE DISEASE IS A LOT MORE SEVERE AND MORE CRIPPLING. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS? WELL, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS TENDS TO CAUSE INFLAMMATION, USUALLY IN THE SMALLER JOINTS OF THE BODY. THE HANDS AND THE TOES AND THE FEET. BUT IT ALSO AFFECTS OTHER AREAS OF THE BODY. IT CAN AFFECT YOUR HEART AND CAUSE A PERICARDITIS. IT CAN CAUSE INFLAMMATION IN THE LUNGS AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH. AND SO IT TENDS TO BE A MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASE. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TESTS? I’M SORRY I’M JUST LIKE SO CURIOUS NOW IF IT AFFECTS ALL THOSE DIFFERENT PARTS OF YOUR BODY INTERNALLY AND THEN WITH YOUR JOINTS, HOW DO YOU TEST FOR THIS? WELL, IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING JOINT SYMPTOMS, PARTICULARLY LIKE STIFFNESS IN THE MORNING THAT LASTS FOR MORE THAN 30 MINUTES, YOU SHOULD SEE A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. THERE ARE ACTUALLY BLOOD TESTS THAT CAN BE DONE TO LOOK FOR THESE AUTOIMMUNE ANTIBODIES. AND IF YOU’RE POSITIVE FOR AUTOIMMUNE ANTIBODIES, THEN YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN CAN REFER YOU TO A RHEUMATOLOGY JUST FOR TREATMENT AND WHAT WOULD TREATMENT BE? MEDICATIONS. WELL, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF TREATING RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT OBESITY, SMOKING, GUM DISEASE AND CERTAIN FOODS TEND TO BE MORE INFLAMMATORY THAN OTHERS. AND SO IT’S IMPORTANT THAT SAY YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU EAT AND HAVE MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND THINGS LIKE TURMERIC AND GINGER, WHICH ARE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY KHIREE. IT’S IMPORTANT TO EXERCISE REGULARLY TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT, AND TO QUIT SMOKING AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT YOU SEE A DENTIST REGULARLY TO PREVENT GUM DISEASE. THEN THERE ARE DISEASES THAT ACTUALLY TREAT THE INFLAMMATION AND SWELLING IN THE JOINTS. UM, LIKE ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES AND PREDNISONE. AND THEN THERE ARE ALSO DISEASE MODIFYING AGENTS THAT RHEUMATOLOGISTS CAN PRESCRIBE TO ACTUALLY DECREASE YOUR LEVEL OF AUTOANTIBODIES SO THAT YOU DON’T CONTINUE TO HAVE FLARE UP OF THE DISEASE. DOCTOR. RIGHT. THANKS FOR COMING IN. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. YOU ARE VERY WELCOME. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTION