A lot of people want to find the best rheumatoid arthritis treatments out there. However, finding the right rheumatoid arthritis and lupus treatments will depend on many things, and your doctor will have the last word. In addition, we are going to talk a little bit about lupus treatment as this disease is also very commonplace. As you will see, the symptoms of lupus are rather similar to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. However, we will talk about some of the differences between rheumatoid arthritis and lupus in this short article.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments vs. Lupus Treatments
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting more than one joint. This medical condition may also damage a wide array of body parts including blood vessels, heart, lung, eyes, and skin. In this autoimmune disorder, your immune system will be attacking your very own body’s tissues, which is obviously a mistake. Rheumatoid arthritis may also cause joint deformity as well as bone erosion, though painful swelling is always common.
The two types of diseases have almost the same symptoms but lupus attacks mostly the brain and kidneys. In fact, some people might also experience overlapping symptoms where they might have rheumatoid arthritis but develop symptoms commonly observed in people suffering from lupus. If you have doubts about whether you have rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, a blood test can solve this problem right away. However, a blood test can be inconclusive for people with overlapping symptoms.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications
Rheumatoid arthritis treatments may include the use of DMARDs. However, this disease has no cure to this day. These medications will only cause a remission of symptoms over time. Your physician will recommend certain types of rheumatoid arthritis medications for your particular situation depending on how long you have had this disease as well as how severe the symptoms are in your particular case. So your doctor might require you to use either steroids or NSAIDs, too.
Lupus Medications
The treatment of Lupus will depend on both the symptoms and the signs. You must discuss this situation with your doctor so you may know the types of medication that you have to use as well as the risks and benefits of the treatment. Depending on how your body handles this disease, your doctor will use different kinds of medications and dosages. However, some commonly prescribed medications are antimalarial drugs, corticosteroids, and NSAIDs (used for rheumatoid arthritis lupus treatment).
The differences between these two diseases are nuanced but they are different nonetheless. You should consult with your doctor about the symptoms to find out exactly which one you are suffering from. Though you might think that you have rheumatoid arthritis, your body might actually be suffering from the symptoms of lupus. So you should talk to your doctor as soon as possible so you can start the treatment as early as possible, which will allow you to handle this medical condition with minimal damage to your body down the road.
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Posted on February 15, 2023