World Arthritis Day 2022: Treat Early, Do Not Lose The Window Of Opportunity

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs in one per cent of the population and it predominantly affects the female with a ratio of 4:1, which means out of five people with this condition, four are females and one is male. The patient can be from 18 to 85 years of age and it is a slowly progressive debilitating disease.

The disease starts with pain and stiffness of the hand joints which gradually progress to involve other joints such as wrists, elbows, ankles and knees over months to years. A characteristic feature of this disease is stiffness after getting up from bed in the morning to the extent that one finds difficulty in getting up from bed and performing daily activities. With movement, things improve across the day.

As awareness of rheumatoid arthritis is poor among patients and general physicians, people are losing precious time for a correct diagnosis and treatment.

The appropriate specialist is a Clinical Immunologist & Rheumatologist. The message is to consult him/her if joint symptoms persist beyond six weeks. The longer the delay the outcome is poor. In our experience, we have found patients taking 1 to 2 years just to approach the right specialist in order to treat their worrying condition. However, by the time she/he reaches the expert, considerable damage has already been done, leading to conditions in some patients where nothing can be done afterwards.

Luckily, there are facilities to diagnose the disease very early after six weeks. There are good tests that can pick up the disease at an early stage to start proper treatment. Immediate attention to this condition can also help in controlling the factors and damages can be restored to many extents.

The very purpose of this write-up is to make the general public aware to interact with Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology specialists within the 4-6 weeks period, which is also called “The Window of Opportunity.’’

During the last two decades, there has been a great stride in the development of new drugs which are termed “Biological Agents’’ which are very effective when there is an inadequate response to the first line drug – Methotrexate. It is safe and cheap and is effective only with other oral drugs to bring about effective control of the disease. Formerly known as Amethopterin, the drug is a common chemotherapy agent for certain cancers. The drug, however, is given at a much lower dose for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis does not affect joints only, but other vital organs such as the lungs and heart can also be involved in the process.

As a Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology specialist, my appeal is not to try several healthcare alternatives like banking on homoeopathy and ayurvedic medications and assuming them safe, but to consult the specialists at the first attempt so that not only the patient but the entire family could be saved.

We are observing that due to rheumatoid arthritis many nascent families are perishing and people are getting into marital discord as the condition leads to social and emotional losses. So, it’s high time on World Arthritis Day 2022 we should dwell upon the theme which says “It’s in your hands, take action.’’

Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases have become a common feature in urban India and also in Odisha. So, on this international day, let’s unite to spread awareness as we, at Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Bhubaneswar, have created a major centre in the entire Eastern region not only to cure patients but also to train more super specialists to take on the disease burden in future.