Sunday, August 3, 2014

Top Rheumatologists on Treating RA Complications

Sometimes chemotherapy drugs, which also inhibit the immune system, will reduce RA symptoms, he adds.

But if RA is difficult to control, Dr. Vogelgesang suggests that the rheumatologist, oncologist and patient discuss the situation, so all can decide which medications and treatments are best.

RA complication #5: Skin disease or vasculitis
Rheumatoid nodules, or small, knobby bumps on the hands, fingers, knuckles or elbows, are the most common skin complaint ^[1]; about 1 in 6 RA patients will get them, says Binh Ngo, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at USC's Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

They also can appear internally, in the heart, the lining of the lung and other organs.

Skin-nodule complications, such as infections, ulcerations or gangrene, are more likely in patients who don't take their RA medications as directed, Dr. Ngo says.

Another serious sign of uncontrolled RA is vasculitis, which causes the walls of blood vessels in the skin to become inflamed; it shows up in less than 5% of RA patients, she says.

Watch for purple splotches of varying sizes on your legs, feet, buttocks and the back of your legs, says Ali Jabbari, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.