什么是类风湿性关节炎？如何预防和治疗？---Here is the complete and accurate extraction of the content from the image: --- **Initial Introduction** Speaking of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), it's not unfamiliar to everyone. What kind of disease do people generally think RA is? Some people think rheumatoid arthritis is just "old cold legs," no need for medicine, just keep warm when the weather changes; others think rheumatoid arthritis is an "incurable cancer" that brings endless pain to patients. In fact, rheumatoid arthritis is not terrifying; it is a chronic disease, just like high blood pressure and diabetes. Patients need to learn to coexist with the disease, receive long-term standardized treatment, and regular follow-ups. Today, we will discuss what rheumatoid arthritis is and its standardized diagnosis and treatment. **Diagram: Doctor-Patient Consultation** * **Type:** Cartoon illustration. * **Main Elements:** * A male doctor in a white coat is seated behind a desk, facing a female patient. * The female patient is seated opposite the doctor. * The desk has a small plant, a computer monitor, and some files. * To the right of the desk, there is a shelf filled with various bottles and boxes, possibly medical supplies. * **Overall:** The diagram depicts a medical consultation scene between a doctor and a patient. --- **Section 1: What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?** Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease primarily characterized by symmetrical polyarthritis. Upon onset, it can cause joint damage and extra-articular damage. It can manifest as symmetrical swelling and pain in the limb joints, accompanied by morning stiffness. It mainly affects the interphalangeal joints of the hands, metacarpophalangeal joints, wrist joints, elbow joints, shoulder joints, and knee joints. In severe cases, it can cause damage to vital organs such as blood, lungs, heart, and kidneys. It can occur at any age, but it is most common between 30-50 years old, with a male to female prevalence ratio of approximately 1:3. The prevalence rate in China is 0.28%-0.36%. **Diagram: Common Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis** * **Type:** Medical illustration with a central human skeletal outline and surrounding detailed symptom illustrations. * **Main Elements:** * **Title:** 常见症状 (Common Symptoms). * **Legend:** * Red circle: 关节内症状 (Intra-articular symptoms). * Green circle: 关节外症状 (Extra-articular symptoms). * **Central Figure:** A simplified human skeletal outline (blue body outline with bones visible), indicating various joints that can be affected (e.g., shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, foot joints are highlighted). * **Surrounding Illustrations and Labels:** * **Top-left:** Illustration of a swollen knee joint, labeled 关节肿胀、疼痛、敏感 (Joint swelling, pain, tenderness). * **Top-right:** Illustration of a deformed hand, labeled 关节变形 (Joint deformity). * **Middle-left:** Illustration of a hand, labeled 晨僵 (Morning stiffness). * **Middle-left (below Morning Stiffness):** Illustration of an arm with an 'X' mark over the elbow joint, indicating restricted movement, labeled 关节活动受限 (Limited joint mobility). * **Bottom-left:** Illustrations of a person with a thermometer and a tired person, labeled 发热/疲劳无力 (Fever/fatigue and weakness). * **Bottom-left (below Fever/Fatigue):** Illustration of bone structure, labeled 全身性骨质疏松 (Systemic osteoporosis). * **Middle-right:** Illustration of an elbow with a nodule, labeled 类风湿结节 (Rheumatoid nodules). * **Bottom-right (above Lung Disease):** Illustration of lungs, labeled 肺部疾病 (Lung disease). * **Bottom-right (bottommost):** Illustration of a heart (without a specific label, but implies heart involvement as mentioned in the text). --- **Section 2: What are the Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis?** Currently, the exact etiology and pathogenesis of RA are still unclear, but research is becoming increasingly in-depth. Genetic susceptibility, chronic infection, environmental factors, immune abnormalities, and estrogen imbalance have been proven to be closely related to the onset of RA. 1. **Genetic Factors:** Rheumatoid arthritis has a higher incidence in certain families. In population surveys, individuals carrying the human leukocyte antigen HLA-DR4 gene have a relative risk of developing RA that is 4-5 times higher than that of the general population. 2. **Environmental Factors:** Smoking and silicon dioxide are environmental risk factors related to RA onset. 3. **Autoimmune Abnormalities:** In RA patients, under the stimulation of certain triggers, some immunoglobulins and rheumatoid factors in the body deposit in the synovial membrane and other connective tissues, forming immune complexes, which then release inflammatory factors and cause damage to the articular cartilage. In short, the immune system mistakenly attacks joint tissues, leading to inflammation. **Diagram: Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis** * **Type:** Small medical illustrations. * **Main Elements:** * **Left:** Illustration of an inflamed joint (e.g., knee joint with red inflammation), labeled 免疫失调 (Immune dysregulation). * **Center:** Illustration of an adult and a child standing together, labeled 遗传 (Heredity). * **Right:** Illustration of a person smoking a cigarette, labeled 吸烟 (Smoking). --- **Section 3: How to Self-Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis?** Typical RA primarily affects small joints, manifesting as bilateral symmetrical small joint pain accompanied by morning stiffness. So, how can one self-diagnose? * **Morning Stiffness:** Stiffness in or around the joints upon waking, lasting at least 1 hour daily, persisting for at least 6 weeks. * **Polyarthritis:** At least 3 or more of the 14 joint areas in the body simultaneously show swelling or effusion, persisting for at least 6 weeks. * **Hand Arthritis:** Swelling in at least one of the wrist, metacarpophalangeal, or proximal interphalangeal joints, persisting for at least 6 weeks. * **Symmetrical Arthritis:** Rheumatoid arthritis involves multiple pairs of symmetrical and bilateral joints, persisting for at least 6 weeks. **Diagram: 4 Major Joint Symptoms and Progression** * **Type:** Medical illustrations showing joint states and progression, with text labels. * **Main Elements:** * **Title:** 类风湿关节炎4大关节症状 (4 Major Joint Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis). * **Symptom Labels (Blue Rectangles):** * 关节晨僵 (Joint Morning Stiffness) * 关节肿胀 (Joint Swelling) * 关节疼痛 (Joint Pain) * 关节畸形 (Joint Deformity) * **Joint Progression Illustrations (Series of 5 knee joints):** * **First (leftmost):** Appears to be a healthy joint with smooth cartilage and synovial fluid. * **Second:** Shows inflammation of the synovial membrane (redness). * **Third:** Shows early erosion of articular cartilage and some bone damage. * **Fourth:** Shows more significant cartilage and bone destruction, with narrowing of the joint space. * **Fifth (rightmost):** Shows severe joint destruction, significant bone erosion, and deformity, with bone-on-bone contact. The series visually represents the progressive damage to a joint due to RA. --- **Section 4: How to Standardize the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis?** 1. **Drug Therapy:** The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis mainly relies on medication. It is thanks to the progress in drug therapy that it is no longer an incurable disease. The main types of drugs include: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and herbal medicines. 2. **Physical Therapy:** In addition to drug therapy, various physical therapies are important auxiliary means for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Through exercise and hot/cold compresses, pain can be alleviated, and joint mobility can be increased. 3. **Lifestyle Changes:** Maintain a healthy weight, balanced diet, and moderate exercise. 4. **Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Treatment:** Based on individual constitution and symptoms, methods such as Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping, Tui Na (massage), and diet therapy are used. 5. **Surgical Treatment:** If rheumatoid arthritis is in its late stage, and joint damage leads to severe functional limitation or loss, orthopedic surgery can be used to correct the functionally impaired joints and improve the quality of life. It should be noted that surgery itself cannot cure rheumatoid arthritis, and patients still require drug therapy after surgery. Currently, there is no curative method for rheumatoid arthritis. However, through medication and lifestyle changes, symptoms can be effectively controlled, disease progression can be slowed down, and quality of life can be improved. **Diagram: Lifestyle and Mental Well-being** * **Type:** Cartoon illustration. * **Main Elements:** * A young girl with dark hair tied in a ponytail is running happily on a green, grassy hill. * A butterfly is flying near her head. * **Text:** 心态平衡 (Mental Balance) is written vertically on the right side of the image. * **Overall:** The diagram symbolizes the importance of physical activity, positive mental attitude, and a balanced lifestyle for managing health, particularly in the context of a chronic disease. ---