Ludhiana, October 12 Rheumatoid arthritis has a prevalence of about 1 per cent worldwide and can affect people of all age groups, including children and adolescents. Women are more prone to get affected than men, said experts, while observing World Arthritis Day at the DMCH to raise awareness about arthritis among the general public. Dr Rajnish Garg, professor and head, department of orthopaedics, and Dr Vikas Gupta, assistant professor in the department of rheumatology and immunology, delivered lectures to raise awareness about arthritis. While Dr Rajnish Garg spoke on osteoarthritis, Dr Vikas Gupta elaborated upon rheumatoid arthritis. He said pain, swelling and early morning stiffness in small joints of hands and feet were early symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Large joints such as shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles can also be affected, he said. “Rheumatoid arthritis not only affects joints, but can also affect other organs of the body, if not controlled adequately. Long standing disease can cause dryness of eyes and mouth. It can also affect lungs causing breathlessness. Sometimes nerves and rarely, kidneys can also get affected,” he said. Very effective treatment with disease modifying drugs (DMARDs) is available nowadays, with which patients can lead a healthy life without painkillers. If recognised early and adequately treated, joint deformities and other complications can be prevented. Arthritis can also occur in other rheumatic diseases such as Sjogren Syndrome, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Scleroderma. Arthritis can also occur after viral infections like Chikungunya and Dengue fever. It is important for people to be aware of the symptoms of arthritis, so that they can seek help of experts in treating this condition and thereby, prevent long-term damage to joints. With proper treatment, those affected can lead a healthy and pain-free life.

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