Authors

1Jenny de la Torre Aboki, 2Jackie Hill

Position

¹Enfermera. Sección de Reumatología. Hospital General Universitario de Alicante. Licenciada en Enfermería. Estudiante de Postgraduate Diploma in Rheumatology Nursing (Keele University-United Kingdom –UK–).²PhD, MPhil, RGN, FRCN, Co-directora del Academic and Clinical Unit of Musculoskeletal Nursing –ACUMeN– Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds (UK).

Contact address

Sección de Reumatología. Hospital General Universitario de Alicante. C/ Pintor Baeza, s/n. 03010 Alicante.

Contact email: delatorre_jen@gua.es

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease of unknown aetiology characterised by the development of inflamed sy­novial membranes of the joints. The disorder has a significant impact not only on the physical but also on the psychological, family, social and work life of the sufferer. Nursing care in this complex pathology may be rather important to facilitate self-care and to effectively face the disease and should be focused on structured edu­cation health programmes specifically designed for these patients.
This article, the first of a series aimed at nursing care in rheumatolo­gy, features RA and provides an overview of the condition, its clini­cal manifestations, its psychological, family, and socioeconomic impact, and explains the therapeutic management of RA sufferers.

Keywords:

rheumatoid disease; Rheumatoid arthritis; health education; biological agentsnursing care plan

Versión en Español

Título:

La artritis reumatoide