Rheumatoid Arthritis Case Study

During the ‘speed dating workshop’, I met an elderly lady who had Rheumatoid arthritis. Prior to the workshop I had known about osteoarthritis, a condition affecting primarily elderly people that causes pain in the joints and occurs with age. However, Rheumatoid arthritis is different to osteoarthritis as it can affect people at any age. The patient told of how she encountered an eight year old boy at the hospital, who was also diagnosed, which was surprising. Rheumatoid arthritis, unlike osteoarthritis, is a “progressive inflammatory disorder” involving the immune system recognising the synovium (the lining of the joints) as an invader cell and attacking the synovium (Page 1, Cush, Weinblatt and Kavanaugh, 2010). The patient may also experience periods where the symptoms worse, this is called a flare-up and can be difficult to predict. (Nhs.uk, 2015). Rheumatoid arthritis affects the patient long term, affecting the smaller joints such as the hands, feet and wrists. Both the patients’ hands were clearly swollen and red. The patient also suffered from joint …show more content…
The lady explained how she felt sad when first diagnosed, but after one visit to a hospital in which she met a young boy who was also diagnosed, she realised that it ‘could have been worse’. She was amazed with the quality of care she received, not only the advancements in biological therapy, but the healthcare staff she came across frequently at the hospital and Pharmacy. She said that although she faced many difficulties, she saw the bright side to this. The fact that she was receiving a new treatment, not having to visit the hospital as frequently and that she was “alive, healthy and happy.” Her outlook on life was incredibly inspiring and I feel honoured and glad to have met