Effectiveness of DMARDs and Physical Exercises

Running head: EFFECTIVENESS OF DMARDS AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES 1
Effectiveness of DMARDS and Physical Exercises
Name
Institution

EFFECTIVENESS OF DMARDS AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES 2
Effectiveness of DMARDS and Physical Exercises
Introduction
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is characterized by pain in the joints and inflammation,
feeling of fatigue, an increase in incidences of cardiovascular diseases as well as their
progression. Besides, it causes accelerated loss of muscle mass commonly known as ‘rheumatoid
cachexia.’ Notably, these factors lead to other adverse consequences like the functional
limitation, disability, comorbidities, as well as reduction in the quality of life of the patient.
Individuals aged 40 years and above tend to have a high prevalence compared to younger people.
According to a study, older people, have a risk of developing RA five times compared to young
people (Edson et al., 2015). It also established that the risk is higher in women compared to men.
It would be therefore advisable to carry out a study to improve the health situation of patients
living with RA.
Background
To achieve optimal care of patients suffering from RA, it calls for an integrated approach
which involves some strategies. Use of medication therapy, commonly known as pharmacologic,
is one of the procedures used to suppress RA. Notably, this therapy entails the use of
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), (DMARDs), use of immunosuppressants as
well as corticosteroids (Silvestre-Rangil, Bagán, Silvestre, & Bagán, 2016). However, the
method of DMRDs is the most preferred as the standard care, because of their ability to retard
disease progression efficiently (Schett et al., 2016). It also helps in inducing more remissions. In
a nutshell, this strategy calls for strict adherence to the physician’s advice, and it becomes easy to
contain the disease impressively.

EFFECTIVENESS OF DMARDS AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES 3
The other strategy is the use of non-pharmacologic treatments. There are a number of
them which can be used to contain RA to supplement medication. Regular physical exercises,
dieting, regular body massage, counseling, reducing stress, physical therapy as well surgery are
some of the non-pharmacologic treatments which a patient suffering from RA can use to
suppress the disease. According to past research, exercise has proven to be of great benefit to
patients struggling with RA (Metsios, Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou, & Kitas, 2015). A patient who
engage in regular physical activity can reap a number of health benefits (Van Zanten et al.,
2015). Better cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiovascular health, an increase in muscle mass, a
reduction in adiposity, an improvement in health, and an improvement in physical functionality
are some of the benefits RA patients can reap (Lange et al., 2019). According to research, high-
intensity exercise is more effective in terms of aerobic capacity, strengthening of muscles, joint
mobility as well as the physical function (Kelley G., Kelley S., & Callahan, 2018). It is therefore
essential for RA patients to engage in physical exercise to suppress the disease.
DMARDs may also have side effects on some patients. Biological therapies can be
prescribed for such patients. Notably, biological therapies are drugs which are protein based, and
they mimic natural molecules in the body (Pawar et al., 2019). They are developed in a way that
allow them to be able to block inflammatory pathways (O'Dwyer et al., 2018). According to
research, biological therapies are more effective than DMARDs alone in many patients.
However, about 40 percent of the patients do not respond adequately to the particular biologic
drugs administered to them (Talotta et al., 2018). Many of these drugs are administered on a trial
and error basis until the drug which responds well to a particular patient is found. Due to the
severe side effects associated with the biologic drugs, there is a need to come up with a method
of selecting the right drug for the right patient. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the

EFFECTIVENESS OF DMARDS AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES 4
administering of these drugs, many RA patients prefer DMARDs except for those patients who
have problems with them.
According to previous studies, use DMARDs has proven to be effective in suppressing
RA. Engaging in physical activities also help in containing the disease. A combination of
exercises and administering of DMARDs might be more effective in containing RA as opposed
to the DMARDs alone. This project aims to establish how effective a combination of the two can
be rather than just taking the DMARDs. It will use two groups of RA patients and observe them
separately. One group will be required to engage in physical exercises as wells as take DMARDs
while the other will be just on DMARDs and no exercises. Then the results will be analyzed to
determine which is more effective.
Research Problem
Do daily administration of medication (DMARDs) and the moderate physical exercise or
activity by the adult population with rheumatoid arthritis for five years or more causes more
effective pain relief than daily medication (DMARDS) administration only?
Research objectives
To investigate the effectiveness of daily administration of (DMARDs) and moderate
exercise by the adult population with rheumatoid arthritis for five years or more in terms of
reducing pain by comparing it with the daily (DMARDs) administration only.
Research hypothesis
Implementation of daily medication (DMARDs) along with moderate physical exercise
by adult population with rheumatoid arthritis for five years or more will bring more effective
pain relief than medication (DMARDs) administration only.