The Rheumatology Service at the Vega Baja Hospital is now organising health education talks for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis which will help them to improve their quality of life.
The activity aims to get patients to better know each other and practice mutual support, an initiative aimed at increasing life expectancy in good health.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease, with a high frequency. Between 0.5% and 1% of the population currently suffer from it.
Symptoms include swelling, stiffening and painful joints. Over time, this inflammation may destroy the joint tissues. This can limit your daily activities and make it hard for you to walk and use your hands.
The disease is more common in women than in men (3: 1). It often begins between the ages of 40 and 60, although it can also occur in men as well as in children and the elderly.
“We must bear in mind that there is no treatment that will cure the disease, although there are treatments that will control it by preventing its further progression,” said Dr. Maribel Tevar.
The Rheumatology team has designed a health education project which aims to educate patients affected by the disease, enabling them to better know the disease, introduce changes in life habits, encourage their observance to treatment, and provide advice on nutirtion and the benefits of natural foods and supplements such as black pepper and turmeric supplements.
he activity also allows patients to better know each other and serve each other by mutual support. It also enables them to meet the team of health professionals who treat them and to resolve any doubts they may have about their disease.
Dr. Tevar added “This initiative follows the guidelines of the IV Health Plan of the Valencian Community (2016-2020) in which we want to improve our approach to the target population, and ensure compliance to treatment.”
