Rheumatism (RA) is a self-immunological disease characterized by chronic inflammation and arthritis damage, which affects about 1 per cent of the global population.
RA not only has a serious impact on the quality of life of patients, but also has a huge socio-economic burden. In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that RA development is a multi-step process, long before clinical symptoms have emerged, and that the disease is already active in the body, a phase known as preclinical rheumatism, during which effective intervention can significantly reduce the severity of RAs and even delay or prevent their onset.
What’s preclinical rheumatism?
Preclinical rheumatism refers to the period from the onset of the disease to the pre-clinical symptoms of arthritis. Patients at this stage may not have any apparent symptoms, but through a series of clinical and laboratory examinations, a series of pathological changes related to RA already exist in the body.
For example, the rise of self-antibodies such as blood-testing rheumatist factors (RFs) and anti-accumuline amino acid antibodies (CCPs), although these increases are not sufficient to diagnose RAs, such patients usually have the following characteristics:
Family history: People with family history of rheumatism are more at risk. Studies have shown that the risk of an RA can increase three to ninefold for a population with a family history, and that the probability that a serum RF-positive RA patient will pass on to the next generation is about 50 per cent, and that the risk of a first-degree relative will increase three times.
Environmental factors: Long-term living in cold, humid environments, or chronic stress, smoking and alcohol.
According to statistics, 25 per cent of RA patients and 35 per cent of RF-positive patients suffer from diseases associated with the risk of smoking (including second-hand smoke).
Self-positive: RA-related self-antibodies have been detected in the blood, e.g., anti-CCP, rheumatizers (RF) etc. The study found that among the health relatives of RA patients, the risk of RA-related self-positive RAs was approximately 61%, while the risk of disease among self-anti-negatives was only 0.4%.
Symptoms of suspicion: Symptoms of joint pain, swelling, morning stagnating, etc., may have occurred but have not yet met the RA diagnostic criteria.
Why intervene at the preclinical stage?
Early intervention is key to the prevention and control of rheumatism. Once RA enters the clinical stage, joint damage is often difficult to reverse, and treatment is much more difficult.
At the preclinical stage, effective interventions can significantly reduce the risk of disease progress or even prevent the occurrence of RAs altogether. Thus, early identification and intervention of Pre-RA patients is essential for disease control and reduction of joint damage.
How many have you won? In the event of a related illness, consult a specialist in rheumatism, so as to achieve early intervention and prevention and reduce the occurrence of joint injuries.
Rheumatism arthritis
