Q. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and my doctor prescribed methotrexate. I’ve been hesitating to take it because I’m concerned about the side effects. Is this drug necessary? If so, what can I do about side effects?
A
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, particularly the tissue lining joints. This causes inflammation, pain, redness and stiffness. If it goes untreated, joints can be damaged to the point where it becomes disabling. Fortunately, there are drugs to treat RA, which can help to avoid the disability that was once common with the disease. The drugs, called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), work by blocking the action of cells and chemicals of the immune system that produce inflammation.
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