The use of gold salts in medicine goes back to 1929, and it was used mostly for the reduction of inflammations as well as to slow the progression of disease in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, and has also been used, since 1800, in different industrial processes.

Gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis has been found to be useful in slowing down the progression of this condition mainly because they reduce inflammation.

Injections Are More Effective Than Orally Taken Gold Salts

At present gold salts is sometimes used to treat children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis can be administered orally or through intramuscular injection, and in the latter instance, is administered every week for approximately three to five months before reducing the frequency.

It has been found, after studying the effects of gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis that treatment with intramuscular gold helps to lessen disease activity as well as joint inflammation. Orally taken gold salts are less effective.

There is, however, no clear understanding about how gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis actually work, though they do accumulate in the body and with time, reduce inflammation as well as slow down the progress of rheumatoid arthritis.

There is, however, the possibility of side effects that can develop after significant amounts of gold has accumulated in the body.

The side effects of oral intake are fewer as compared with injections into the muscles, and common side effects of orally taken gold salts include reduced appetite, nausea as well as diarrhea, and problems with the skin, kidney, and blood and, in rare instances, lungs.

When gold salts are injected into the muscles, side effects can take the form of itchy skin rashes as well as mouth sores.

Normally, three months after taking gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis, symptoms will noticeably improve and it is also necessary for having regular urine tests to check for protein that will indicate if there has been damage to the kidney or not.

Blood tests are also required, as too, is regularly visiting the doctor, and having frequent lab tests. Taking gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis can also be quite expensive.

There are different types of gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis including Auranofin, Aurothioglucose, Disodium aurothiomalate, sodium aurothiosulfate and Sodium aurothiomalate.

The oral gold salts for rheumatoid arthritis used include Ridaura and the intramuscular drugs prescribed go by the name of Solganal and Aurolate, and Myochrysine.

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Rheumatoid arthritis is traditionally thought to be a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that results in the immune system attacking the joints, and causes a disabling as well as inflammatory condition leading to considerable loss of mobility consequent to the amount of pain as well as joint destruction being felt.

It is a systemic disease that in many instances, affects extra-articular tissues in the body that also includes the skin, heart, blood vessels, lungs as well as muscles.

May Last For Years

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness which can last for years, but patients may also experience long periods when there are no perceivable symptoms. It is a dangerous disease that has potential to destroy the joints as well as cause functional disability.

It results in swelling, pain, redness as well as stiffness, and may also occur in tissues around the joints including the tendons, ligaments as well as muscles.

Rheumatoid arthritis is not unusual and is believed to affect over two million Americans, and is thrice as common amongst women as in men. There is no racial bias either, and it can begin at any age, though it is usual to affect people over forty years of age.

There is also evidence to suggest that it can be a genetic disease.

There is no certainty as to what causes rheumatoid arthritis even though infectious agents like viruses, bacteria as well as fungi are suspected, but none have been proven. It is the subject of much research right across the globe, and genetic factors seem to be suspected as too are certain injections that might cause the immune system to attack the body’s own tissues thereby causing inflammation in organs such as the eyes and lungs.

The environment too is thought to cause rheumatoid arthritis, and recently, scientists reported that smoking tobacco could increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms too come and go and depend on the degree of tissue inflammation.

Inflamed body tissues mean the disease is active and when the inflammation subsides, the disease is inactive. In an active state, the symptoms seen are feelings of fatigue, lack of appetite, aches in joints and muscles, low grade fever as well as stiffness. Being a systemic disease, rheumatoid arthritis inflammation can spread to organs and areas of the body other than the joints.

The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis begins with a meeting between the doctor and patient. The doctor will review the history of symptoms, makes an examination of the joints to look for inflammation and deformity, and checks the skin for rheumatoid nodules as also other parts of the body for inflammation.

However, there is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis and the goal of treatment is reduction of the joint inflammation and pain as well as maximizing joint function while preventing further destruction and deformity of the joints.

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