Who Discovered Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that according to the National Arthritis Foundation effects over one million Americans. It can be mild and cause little interference with normal life or it can be very crippling and severe. There can be flares and remissions and much is still not known about what causes this disease, and why it effects each person so differently. Due to the complexity of this disease there were many scientists responsible for helping today's physicians understand and treat the disease.

Theories/Speculation

• Symptoms of what we now call rheumatoid arthritis was discovered in the remains of Native American skeletons in Tennessee and Kansas as early as 4500 BC. Then around 123 AD texts found in India described a condition were joints were painful and swollen and where patients developed fevers. As the abilities of science improved more was learned about this condition. The first real description of Rheumatoid arthritis occurred in the 1800's by the French physician Dr Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais. However the actual term Rheumatoid arthritis was not used until 1859. The term was coined by a London physician named Sir Alfred Garrot. Then following this, Guillaume de Baillou, a Dean at the University of Paris and French wrote one of the first books on arthritis in 1951.

Identification

• Even in the early days of 123 AD this condition was described much the same as it is today. The texts in India described a medical disease that produced painful and swollen joints that often started in the hands and feet and eventually effected other parts of the body. Guillaume de Baillou described the condition in even more detail listing symptoms of inflammation in the joints, stiff muscles and pain throughout the body. He also noted that the symptoms become worse at night, disturbing a patient's ability to sleep. The description of Rheumatoid arthritis used today is not much different. It is still known to cause swollen and painful joints. In addition, we now know that it also causes joint damage and deformity and can also attack and damage the organs of the body.

History

• The first treatment used for Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms was Peruvian bark around 1680. Peruvian bark did help some of the symptoms, as one of its ingredients was quinine. Quinine has fever reducing, anti inflammatory and pain killing properties. Then in 1763 Willow bark began to be the treatment of choice. Willow bark contains salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin. It has been used throughout the centuries to help reduce pain and inflammation. In 1987 a company called Bayer manufactured aspirin from the Willow bark and aspirin was widely used for arthritis treatment. This continued until the period of the early 1920's to the 1950's when other medications were discovered. These included gold salts and synthetic medications that mimicked the actions of quinine and willow bark. Today the list of medications used is extensive and oftentimes a combination of medications are used to control the many symptoms. It often takes some trial and error to match the patient with the right medication.

Potential

• Physicians today still rely on the patient's self reported history of symptoms to help diagnose the disease much as their forefathers did. The ability to discover joint changes from arthritis was improved with the invention of the X-ray by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. Today there are even more advanced diagnostic tests such as MRI's and the ability to diagnose disease through blood samples. Now physicians can combine the physical history of the patients symptoms with test results to help determine the exact type of arthritis the patient has and what the best treatment options are.

Prevention/Solution

• Physicians once treated arthritis by encouraging the patient to rest in bed and not strain their painful joints. However today we know that regular exercise and movement is essential to help slow down the progression of this condition and help to limit joint damage. However, exercise can be painful for those with Rheumatoid arthritis. Another important step in the history of Rheumatoid arthritis came in the 1920's with the development of first artificial joint. It took many attempts by different scientists working with many different materials before joint replacements were possible. Then in 1958 an English surgeon named John Charnley made some major breakthroughs. By 1961 joint replacements were being routinely done with good results. Advances in joint replacement continue today and are often a lifesaver for those with Rheumatoid arthritis.