What's in a Name? The Consequences of Labeling RA as "Arthritis"

Rheumatoid Arthritis is not what the rest of society considers “Arthritis.” I put this word in quotation marks because I find that nearly all of the people I interact with associate arthritis with Osteoarthritis— a condition that occurs with wear and tear of the joints with age. Yes, this is the elderly arthritis the commercials and brochures advertise, the kind your elderly relatives likely have some form, but no, this is not an autoimmune disease.


So when you tell someone you have “Arthritis” when you really have some form of Autoimmune Arthritis, you are not doing the disease or those suffering justice. There are so many people, so many children, with autoimmune arthritis who are desperate for better treatments and a cure, but may not live to see one because our society does not realize the epidemic of autoimmune arthritis. You don’t promote the necessary awareness or justification autoimmune arthritis so desperately needs, and so you do every autoimmune arthritis sufferer a disservice. You do a disservice and injustice to all of the Still’s Disease and AA (autoimmune arthritis) sufferers that have died as a result of their disease (yes, you can die from these disease should you have organ involvement or compression of certain vertebrae).


Please, politely correct people when they do not correctly name your disease. Politely correct people who claim that their Osteoarthritis is just like yours. Not to prove them wrong, not to compare who suffers more, but to separate the two very different conditions from each other and educate our society. We’ll never reach a cure if we don’t make it know that we need one.

What’s in a name? Power. The power to create change, end suffering, and be a patient advocate. Whether you know someone suffering or you are afflicted by the disease, never forget to be a patient advocate.

Check Out the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation!

Rheumatoid Patient Foundation

FINALLY! A Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Foundation, separate from an “Arthritis” organization. RA is not arthritis. Spread the link pretty please and thank you!

"...Dedicated to improving the lives of patients with Rheumatoid diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Juvenile Arthritis through a variety of means, including research, public awareness, patient education and patient-led advocacy."

Weekly Link Roundup 07/13/2011

*I've been quite sick, so these are a bit delayed.

1. KevinMD — Social Media’s Leading Physician Voice; A link for my followers interested in science, medicine, new breakthroughs in the medical world, health care, and heartfelt true stories and articles written by different physicians. I lovelovelove this blog and learn quite a bit from reading it.
2. Warrior4JRA- Jordan’s Story — Jordan is an 8 year old RA Warrior battling Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis with bravery most children have no understanding of. Follow her journey through childhood with a chronic illness— she’s a special girl :)
3. Ra Warrior’s Methotrexate Index— Since I’ve had such a large amount of MTX-related questions: articles that examine all aspects of methotrexate: FAQ, side effects, folic acid, injections, etc. A great place with easy-to-read content for those of you with questions.
4. Hand Exercises for RA Sufferers — On good days when my pain isn’t so bad, I try to do these simple exercises to maintain range of motion in my hands. This link provides a slide show of images to show you exactly how to perform the simple exercises correctly. The Arthritis Foundation will also send you a free booklet with simple range of motion exercises if requested.

Blog of the week: RASuperbitch— This beautiful woman shared her journey through rheumatoid arthritis. Many of her posts resonated deeply with me and her story has touched hundreds in the RA/Autoimmune community. Unfortunately, she passed away this summer. My heart goes out to her husband, children, and loved ones.

*As always, please message me if you would like your link removed :)