Rheumatoid arthritis is becoming a fairly common problem in the Indian population. It is basically an inflammatory disease, which mainly affects joints. It literally eats up the joint cartilage and bones, making them extremely painful.

 Patients notice gradual onset of pain and swelling in their joints. One of the main features of Rheumatoid arthritis is stiffness of the joints in the mornings. The worse the stiffness, the severe the disease. 

Apart from destroying the joints, it also causes fatigue, nerve damage, mood changes and heart attack to name a few.

The key is to identify and institute early management plan. It is very important to diagnose correctly and start the right medication regimen to avoid complications.

Since the medications used for Rheumatoid arthritis can have significant side effects, choosing the right drug can be very daunting.  Genomics is emerging as a very useful tool to identify the medications which work the best for each individual. 

If you are suffering from any joint symptoms, it is advisable to get evaluated and get proper follow up care.