When a young person is diagnosed with Arthritis and Biological Response Modifiers it is often deemed an aberration. After all, only old people get arthritis…right? Wrong. Believe it or not, one of the most popular forms of the disease, rheumatoid arthritis, manifests itself in people as young as twenty. In fact, the age of the average diagnosis is thirty five.
What is it? Though all forms of arthritis are unpleasant, rheumatoid is arguably the worse. Not only is it often discovered at an early age, but the symptoms can result in crippling pain. Typically, the disease causes swelling in the joints of the fingers, hips and wrists. Occasionally, the pain is so unbearable that the patient is unable to move.
For most rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, aspirin and topical solutions help them reduce inflammation and manage their pain. For more severe cases, prescription medications are often necessary. One new class of drugs known as biological response modifiers is popular with chronic arthritis sufferers.
Since rheumatoid arthritis is an immune disorder, the only medications that can be used to treat it are drugs that address the actual problem. Biological response modifiers work by changing the way the immune system works. The hope is that this can prevent it from attacking the joints.
As we said, early results have been overwhelmingly positive. Patients have reported less pain and inflammation, which is exactly what doctors expected to see. |
