Sex, food and sports. Advice for those living with rheumatoid arthritis

Don’t settle for a half life – talk to your rheumatologist. New therapies allow rheumatoid arthritis patients to block the disease and return to living a full life, but habits and behaviors can also help support well-being. So what to talk about with the doctor? About what to eat, how much and what physical activity to do, everyday life problems, such as insomnia or relationship and sexual difficulties. This is the invitation made by “Complete the Picture – Don’t settle for a half life: talk to your rheumatologist”, the information campaign on rheumatoid arthritis promoted by AbbVie and created with the patronage of the patient associations APMARR and ANMAR, focused on www.missioneremissione.it, a website where you can find information on the disease and practical advice for its daily management, in-depth videos with rheumatologists, nutritionists, psychologists and physiatrists.

Yes, because if it is true that this disease cannot be cured, the progress made by scientific research has allowed many patients to achieve remission, ie a condition in which the signs and symptoms of the disease are completely absent or rarely occur. “Patients in remission – says Fausto Salaffi, Associate Professor of Rheumatology at the Rheumatology Clinic of the Jesi Hospital – have a better quality of life, greater physical functionality and also a higher working capacity than patients with low disease activity. The rheumatologist should always apply tight control of the disease, allowing the patient to achieve remission quickly”.

The illness

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease mediated by the immune system that causes pain, stiffness, swelling and loss of joint function. Although it can occur initially in any joint, the small joints in the hand and foot are typically affected first. 23.7 million people suffer from it worldwide and about 300,000 in Italy, with 5,000 new diagnoses every year. Patients experience episodes of intense disease activity, called flares, alternating with episodes of relative remission, when the pain and swelling disappear. “Clinical remission must be the primary objective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis – says Antonella Celano, Founder and President of APMARR, National Association of People with Rheumatological and Rare Diseases. Being in remission does not mean having defeated the pathology and each patient interprets it differently: for some it coincides with the total absence of symptoms, while others define it as this when they only experience occasional exacerbations. Remission, especially when it is continuous and lasting, allows us people with RA to live a normal life, being able to continue working and without having to give up something even from a social point of view”.

Open discussion with the doctor

Pain on the one hand, the physical effects of the disease on the other – such as weight gain or loss or decreased mobility or energy – can negatively affect the sex life of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. The same reasons can lead patients to think that physical activity is not recommended for them, while on the contrary moving in moderation improves the symptoms of the disease. Or again, patients may underestimate some factors that contribute to their well-being and improve their quality of life. Sleep first. The most common ailments in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers are poor quality sleep, difficulty falling asleep and feeling tired or unrested and should not be assumed to be inevitable. Even nutrition can contribute positively or negatively: in fact, there are foods that contribute to lowering the levels of inflammation in the body. To deal with these problems and improve one’s quality of life, advice can be found on the campaign site, where you can also download tools that help patients to establish a fruitful dialogue with their doctor on these issues as well.

“The objective of patient associations is to concretely support and help all people suffering from rheumatic diseases – continues Silvia Tonolo, President of ANMAR (National Association of Rheumatic Patients). The path that leads to the acceptance of the pathology is long and tortuous, talking about RA is often a taboo also because it is a pathology that is not yet well known, unlike cardiovascular diseases or oncological pathologies. Uncertainty, frustration as well as pain and fatigue affect people to varying degrees; for this reason, open and direct discussion between doctor and patient is of vital importance, which must have the clinical remission of the disease as its main objective”.