On Thursday, Jan. 16, I hosted a Twitter chat on arthritis for PBS NewsHour in partnership with the Mayo Clinic,NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,American College of Rheumatology, the Arthritis Foundation and the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation.
Did you know that there are more than 100 kinds of arthritis? Or that arthritis disproportionately affects women and ethnic minorities? Or that it’s estimated that by 2030 there will be an estimated 67 million adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis? Those were just a few of the many facts we learned during the chat. Some of the most useful things shared during the chat were on risk factors and dealing with arthritis. Here are 6 tips from the NewsHour Twitter Chat.
1. Earlier is Better: While there are no cures for most types of arthritis an early diagnosis and management are treatment.
A5: Early & appropriate treatment by rheum can reduce likelihood of long-term complications & increase remission likelihood #NewsHourChats
— AmerCollRheumatology (@ACRheum) January 16, 2014
A5 With gout, important to address flare-up right away & keep taking meds to prevent further flares http://t.co/mZEO2PNKfY #newshourchats
— Sharon Theimer (@SharonTheimer) January 16, 2014
2. Risk Factors: Genetics are a big factor and whether or not you will get a type of arthritis but you can reduce the risks by maintain a healthy weight, exercising and not smoking.
A6: Healthy habits with exercise reduce risk even if risk gene is present #newshourchats
— Veena Taneja (@VeenaTaneja) January 16, 2014
A6: You can reduce OA risk by managing weight & getting physical activity http://t.co/UNTalpQX5B #NewsHourChats
— NIAMS/NIH/DHHS (@NIH_NIAMS) January 16, 2014
3. Get moving: Exercise can help lower your risk of arthritis and appropriate exercise can keep your joints from getting stiff even after you have arthritis.
Q5 Physical activity can help manage arthritis and other chronic conditions http://t.co/XxhaKeUm7j #newshourchats
— CDCChronic (@CDCChronic) January 16, 2014
A12 good forms of exercise include walking, swimming and biking, according to a person’s ability and arthritis limitations #NewsHourChats
— Eric Matteson, M.D. (@EricMattesonMD) January 16, 2014
4. Food matters: While your diet can prevent you from getting arthritis or flare-ups it can lower the risk.
A6: Healthy habits with exercise reduce risk even if risk gene is present #newshourchats
— Veena Taneja (@VeenaTaneja) January 16, 2014
Q7: Diet definitely plays a role in managaing RA. #newshourchats http://t.co/R7l1KtikdR
— Arthritis Foundation (@arthritis_org) January 16, 2014
5. Relieving Pain: The same things that can lower your risk factor can help you relive pain if you have arthritis.
A17: Physical activity, eating well, lifestyle changes, massage. Read more: http://t.co/fh5wyEapxt #newshourchats
— Arthritis Foundation (@arthritis_org) January 16, 2014
6. Get Help: There are a ton of resources for arthritis patients.
A20 great resources include the American College of Rheumatology SImple Tasks website and the Arthritis Foundation website #NewsHourChats
— Eric Matteson, M.D. (@EricMattesonMD) January 16, 2014
Many patients find support from online community. Read more in this #SimpleTasks guest blog from @Autoimmunemom http://t.co/ezwGNpXpaD
— ACR Simple Tasks (@ACRSimpleTasks) January 16, 2014
