类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种慢性炎症性疾病，免疫系统错误地攻击关节。最常见的症状是关节的疼痛，肿胀和炎症。最终，关节会变形。
In the United States, about1.5 millionpeople have RA. The onset of RA is highest among people in their sixties. The rate isalmost three times女性比男性高。
您的前景取决于许多因素，包括您是否测试类风湿因子（RF）或抗环状柠檬油肽（抗CCP）的阳性。影响您前景的其他因素包括您在诊断时的年龄，整体健康状况以及您是否发展并发症。
Treatment is often able to limit or reduce joint damage and improve your quality of life. Making the right lifestyle choices and adhering to your treatment plan can make a big difference in your outlook.
RA会影响整个身体的关节，从而损害您的软骨，肌腱和韧带。随着时间的流逝，RA也会影响您的骨头和其他器官。患有RA的人比没有RA的人更有可能发展残疾。这可能会干扰您的日常生活。
If you测试RF阳性or anti-CCPs, you may experience more severe symptoms of RA.
早期治疗可以最大程度地减少RA导致的疼痛和残疾。如果您遇到新的或恶化的症状，请立即与您的医生交谈。
Besides medication, there are some self-care methods to help improve your overall health.
自我护理技巧
- Get physical: Low-impact exercise is an important part of your RA treatment. A combination of aerobic, muscle strengthening, and flexibility exercises can help you feel stronger.
- Rest: Get a good night’s sleep and rest tired joints during the day as needed.
- Eat well: There’s no special diet for RA, but how you eat still matters. A balanced diet should include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. Avoid highly processed junk foods, which can lead to inflammation.
- Experiment: Complementary therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and meditation may help your symptoms. You can also try heating pads and cold packs for pain as needed.
- Tend to your emotional health: Consider joining a support group for others living with chronic illness.
如果您有RA，您仍然应该根据需要去看初级保健医生。您还需要查看风湿病学家。风湿病学家专门研究RA和其他自身免疫，风湿性和肌肉骨骼状况。他们可能会开处方疾病改良的抗毒药，这可以帮助减少疾病活动并防止关节损害。
RA isn’t the same for everybody. Your rheumatologist will assess your condition, form a treatment plan, and advise you on how to best take care of yourself. They’ll also monitor your disease progression and adjust your medications as needed. In time, you may have additional needs such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, or other types of treatments.
Learn more: DMARDs and TNF-alpha inhibitors for RA treatment »
RA会导致各种并发症。皮肤下的结节和关节畸形是一些更常见的并发症。有些人还会出现颈椎问题。
Other potential complications include:
- anemia
- 眼部炎症
- osteoporosis
- diabetes
患有RA的人也更容易发育：
- 血管（类风湿血管炎）
- outer lining of the heart (pericarditis)
- heart muscle (myocarditis)
您应该了解RA中其他可能的严重并发症，包括以下内容。
Heart disease
RA is an inflammatory disease. Because of this, it can damage your blood vessels and cause them to narrow. This increases your risk of heart disease, particularly ischemic heart disease.
If you have RA, you’re also more likely to be hospitalized due tomyocardial infarction, angina, orcongestive heart failure。These risks are higher if you test positive for RF, have severe disease activity, or go through menopause before age 45.
需要更多的研究来研究患有RA的人的心脏病，以及该疾病和用于治疗的药物如何导致心脏问题。
Assessing your individual risk for heart complications is difficult. This is one reason why it’s important to see your doctor regularly. You can lower your risk of heart disease by maintaining a heart-healthy diet and getting regular exercise.
感染
患有自身免疫性疾病（例如RA）的人通常更容易受到感染的影响，包括结核病和牙龈感染。根据
因此，请确保所有疫苗接种都是最新的。立即向您的医生报告任何感染迹象。
Lung problems
Because it’s a chronic inflammatory disease, RA can affect many of your organs. As the disease progresses, RA increases your risk of lung problems, such as nodules or high blood pressure in the lungs.
You may also be at increased risk of developing a blockage in the small airways of the lungs. The最常见的lung problem in RA is interstitial lung disease. This can lead topulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring of the lungs.
Respiratory causes are thesecond majorRA患者的死亡原因。您可以通过不吸烟来降低肺部问题的风险。
Learn more: What you should know about rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and smoking »
It’s possible that living with RA may affect your mental and emotional health. As many as40 percentof people with RA experience symptoms of depression. The exact reasons for this aren’t known. Living with chronic illness, pain, and disability can lead to depression in some people. There may also be a link between depression and inflammation.
沮丧can make you less likely to adhere to your treatment plan, which can make your RA worse. Depression also increases the likelihood of alcohol and drug abuse, and can harm your overall health. Symptoms of depression include:
- 悲伤或绝望的感觉
- feelings of anger or irritation, even over small things
- 失去对爱好的兴趣
- sleeping too much or sleeping too little
- lack of energy
- difficulty concentrating
- 显着的体重增加或损失
- repetitive negative thoughts
抑郁症可以用药物治疗，行为和谈话疗法。如果您遇到抑郁症状，请与您的医生或心理健康专家交谈。
While RA isn’t fatal, complications can shorten your lifespan by roughly10 years。However, it’s important to note that disease progression varies greatly from person to person. People who test positive for RF and anti-CCPs tend to progress at a faster rate.
RA的治疗选择正在进步，新药可以提高缓解的机会。您可以通过遵守治疗计划并定期去看医生来改善外观。
除了遵循医生建议的治疗计划外，您还可以做其他事情来管理自己的病情。你可以：
吃均衡的饮食。A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein can increase your energy and boost your mood. Junk foods may aggravate inflammation and cause weight gain. More weight puts additional stress on your joints.
Listen to your body。If you do something physical and then have severe pain lasting an hour or more, it means you’ve probably overdone it. When you start feeling increased pain, stop the activity and rest.
Use assistive devices。There are a variety of devices specially designed to meet the needs of people with arthritis. These include kitchen utensils, household tools, and even writing implements with easy-grip features. Using these tools can improve your daily life.
寻求帮助。Enlist the aid of family and friends for the most difficult tasks, such as heavy lifting, vacuuming, and scrubbing floors.
Move your body。确保每天移动一点。它将有助于肌肉力量和灵活性。询问您的医生多少运动，哪种运动最适合您。如果可能，请与私人教练或物理治疗师一起制定锻炼计划。另外，避免在一个位置呆太久。至少每30分钟从坐姿至少伸展一次，以伸展和移动。如果您正在做涉及抓地力的工作，请尝试每10至15分钟释放抓地力。
Pamper yourself。当您的手或脚开始疼痛时，请散发出凉爽或温暖的浸泡以缓解。
Be proactive。不要等待。一旦您发现症状发生重大变化，请告诉医生。