DR Zoe Williams helps a reader whose dad is suffering with arthritis.
Dr Zoe is our resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
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Q: MY 65-year-old dad has been diagnosed with chronic/rheumatoid arthritis.
It came on very fast – within one month he was unable to walk.
He has lost weight and is in a lot of pain, so isn’t working or sleeping.
He has started methotrexate but everything I read says it is to “slow progression”.
Is this true? Or is it just a flare-up and will he return to normal?
A: I’m so sorry to hear your dad has been diagnosed with this condition and has been suffering so badly.
People tend to think that rheumatoid arthritis is just bad arthritis, but it’s not.
It’s a disease where the body’s immune system attacks the person’s joints and causes inflammation and damage.
It can also cause damage to other organs, including the kidneys and lungs.
There are more than 100 kinds of arthritis that require different methods of treatment.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition but the symptoms are not always the same.
There may be periods where symptoms become worse, known as flare-ups, and it sounds as though your dad has experienced his first flare.
If this is so, a rheumatologist will be hoping to settle it.
A flare can be difficult to predict, but with treatment, it’s possible to minimise or prevent long-term damage to the joints.
Repeated flares progressively cause longer-term damage to joints – hence the tendency towards “slow progression”.
Speak to your dad’s specialist team about whether he will improve from where he is now.
If you don’t know how to contact them, your GP practice can support you with this.