How do I know that my rheumatoid arthritis is under control?
If you don't have symptoms in your joints like pain or swelling or stiffness
for some time.. months at least.. and when you see your rheumatologist and he
tells you there are no signs of active disease when he examines you.. and when
the labs that reflect ongoing inflammation like the ESR (sedimentation rate)
and the CRP (C-reactive protein) are normal, then we can say your disease is
under control and you are in a state called remission of the disease.
All three aspects need to be included in the assessment, symptoms, examination by the doctor and the labs to ensure rheumatoid arthritis is under control. We cannot rely on one and ignore the others.
If we want to be more and more meticulous in making sure rheumatoid arthritis is under control, there might be chance for a little, very little activity of the disease in spite of those signs. In such cases, if the doctor wants to check for that, he might order some types of imaging tests to really confirm 100 percent that there are no signs of such subtle activity that is going on under the surface.
In all cases, if you fulfill those signs we mentioned in your doctor's visit, this means that you are definitely enjoying a near normal lifestyle already and you are likely doing all the activities of daily life without any pain or limitation.
Should you continue your medications or not? Questions like this should be answered by your doctor. He knows the details of your case better. But we strongly advise you not to stop any medications on your own please. Always consult your doctor
Further reading:
What Else Can I Do to Get My RA Under Control?
Progression and Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Get and Keep Control of Your Rheumatoid
Arthritis
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This post was prepared and published by Dr. Hatem Eleishi. Dr. Hatem Eleishi is a professor of rheumatology at Cairo university (Egypt) and is especially dedicated to supporting arthritis patients with online educational videos and articles about arthritis causes and treatment. He also runs a rheumatology clinic in Cairo and a center for online medical consultations that, in addition to providing online rheumatology consultations, also provides online medical consultations in several different medical specialties by expert consultants from Egypt, Canada and the United States.
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