Best Doctors in India for Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment
- Orthopedic surgeon, Chennai, India
- Over 35 years’ experience
- MGM Healthcare Chennai
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. A B Govindaraj is a leading Orthopedic surgeon who holds an extensive experience of more than 3 decades in the field and performs over 300 joint replacement surgeries annually.
- He excels in unilateral and bilateral total knee replacement, total hip replacement, and shoulder replacement surgeries.
- Orthopedic Surgeon, Hyderabad, India
- Over 30 years’ experience
- CARE Hospitals Hyderabad
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. B N Prasad is a well-known Orthopedic Surgeon with over 3 decades of experience.
- Dr. B N Prasad is among the few surgeons in the country to specialize in both adult and pediatric orthopedics and has taken up numerous cases and treated patients with excellent outcomes.
- He provides diagnostic as well as surgical treatment for various types of orthopedic disorders such as arthritis and osteoporosis.
- Orthopedic Surgeon, Gurugram, India
- Over 40 years’ experience
- Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. B K Singh is one of the best Orthopedic Surgeons in India with experience encompassing over 4 decades.
- He holds the credit for over 5000 Arthroplasty procedures and is one of the few surgeons in India with expertise in Robotic Knee and Hip Replacement Surgeries.
- Dr. B K Singh received his training in Joint Replacement Surgery and Robotic Knee and Hip replacement procedures from India, UK, and Japan.
- Orthopedic Surgeon, Hyderabad, India
- Over 30 years’ experience
- Gleneagles Global Hospitals Hyderabad
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. J V S Vidya Sagar is a renowned Orthopedic Surgeon and one of the most experienced surgeons for Arthroscopy in India.
- Dr. Vidya Sagar has been performing Arthroscopic and Joint Replacement surgeries for over 30 years during which he has performed 31,500 Arthroscopies, 13,400 joint replacement surgeries, 27, 600 knee joint surgeries, and 20,800 surgeries for ligament reconstruction, and over 38,600 surgeries for cerebral palsy and polio.
- Top Orthopedic Surgeon | BLK Hospital, New Delhi, India
- 20+ Years Experience
- BLK Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Mrinal Sharma is a highly renowned Orthopedic Surgeon and Joint Replacement Specialist with a specialization in Arthroplasty.
- Dr. Mrinal Sharma holds with him an experience of more than a decade and has achieved huge success with joint replacement procedures, especially of the knee, during his career.
- He is among the new generation of Orthopedic surgeons who use Computer Navigated techniques for performing knee and hip replacement surgeries.
- Orthopedic Surgeon, Mumbai, India
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Gleneagles Global Hospital Parel Mumbai
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Murali Poduval is a well-known Orthopedic surgeon in Mumbai with a specialization in Joint Replacement surgeries.
- He holds an extensive experience of close to 2 decades in Orthopedics and Joint replacement surgery and is an expert in the management and treatment of deformity correction, arthroplasty, and complex trauma.
- He is highly skilled in performing all types of primary and revision surgeries on the hip, knee, and spine. His primary interest also includes hip arthroplasty for severe defects in children and adolescents.
- Top Orthopedic Surgeon & Spine Surgeon | BLK Hospital, New Delhi, India
- 40+ Years Experience
- BLK Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Pradeep Sharma is the Director of the BLK-Max Centre for Orthopedics, Joint Reconstruction, and Spine Surgery in Delhi.
- Dr. Pradeep Sharma has an experience of 40+ years in the field and is an expert in the treatment of both adult and pediatric patients.
- Dr. Pradeep Sharma runs arthroplasty Fellowships supported by Zimmer and Stryker and has trained and mentored young surgeons in Arthroplasty.
- Orthopedic Surgeon, Kolkata, India
- Over 30 years’ experience
- CMRI (The Calcutta Medical Research Institute) Kolkata
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Rakesh Rajput is the Director and HOD – Orthopedics at The Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI), Kolkata.
- Dr. Rakesh Rajput’s expertise lies in Joint replacement surgeries for the knee and hip, Arthroscopy, and Pelvic and Ace tabular trauma. He is also highly skilled in Minimally invasive orthopedic surgeries.
- Dr. Rakesh Rajput received his training in Joint replacement procedure from the prestigious University of Dundee and has worked and trained under some of the best orthopedic surgeons in the world.
- Orthopaedic Surgeon, Chennai, India
- Over 22 years’ experience
- Apollo Hospitals Greams Road
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Kornad P Kosygan is one of the few Orthopedic surgeons in India with a double FRCS degree.
- He has been successful in the diagnosis and treatment of severe Orthopedic problems throughout his career.
- Dr. Kornad is invited as an exclusive Orthopedics Specialist from over six countries in the Asian and European subcontinent.
- Dr. Kosygan has sought extensive training and exposure in the department of Orthopaedics.
- Top Orthopedic Surgeon | Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, India
- 42+ Years Experience
- Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi
Profile Highlights:
- As one of the most experienced orthopedic surgeons in Delhi, Dr. Chander Shekhar has been practicing for 42 years. He is associated with Indraprastha Apollo Hospital as a consultant.
- Dr. Chander Shekhar is interested in Knee and Hip joint replacement and revision.
- He honed his expertise by completing a fellowship in shoulder and knee arthroscopy in the United States. Besides replacement & revision surgery, he has expertise in Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, BHR with stem, and Minimally Invasive Surgery.
Best Hospitals in India for Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment
Hospital Highlights:
- Apollo Hospitals is a private healthcare group in India, with its headquarters based in Chennai. Established in 1983 by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, the group offers a wide range of medical treatments and services across various specialties.
- It is renowned for emphasizing innovation and utilizing cutting-edge medical technologies into patient treatment.
- Known as India’s first corporate hospital, Apollo Hospitals is often credited for pioneering the private healthcare revolution in the country.
- With clinics and hospitals located all throughout India, Apollo Hospitals is a nationwide healthcare organization. Its presence can also be found in foreign countries.
- Preventive health examinations, medical and surgical treatment, and diagnostic centres are just a few of the services that the Apollo group provides.
- The group has several centres of expertise, including Cardiac Sciences, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Emergency Care, Cancer Care, and Organ Transplantation.
- City: Chennai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- RIMC is a multi-specialty hospital in a sprawling area of 36 acres located in Chromepet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
- The facility has 450 beds including 130 critical care beds, 9 operating rooms, modern reference laboratories and radiology services, and is conveniently located near road, rail and air transportation.
- RIMC is led and managed by world-renowned physicians committed to healthcare.
- RIMC offers the broadest range of clinical care, education, and research. The hospital offers state-of-the-art technology and modern treatment facilities designed to provide health care at an affordable cost.
- Rela Institute is driven by patient needs, comfort and confidence.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh is a multi-super specialty hospital that strives to provide world-class patient care by leaving no stone unturned.
- Fortis, Shalimar Bagh, with 262 beds and a 7.34-acre footprint, provides the best level of medical care through its team of doctors, nurses, technicians, and management professionals.
- City: Bengaluru, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Established in 2007, the Apollo Hospitals Bangalore is a 300-bed multispecialty hospital situated in Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.
- Equipped with the state-of-the-art technology, it is a leading hospital dedicated to providing healthcare needs to patients with compassion and expertise.
- It is the first hospital to have completed the highest number of Robot Assisted Heart Surgeries in India.
- Over the years, it has successfully conducted some of the rarest medical procedures such as spinal angiolipoma excision, autologous chondrocyte implantations, and tibial tuberosity shift with MPSL reconstruction.
- The Apollo Hospitals Bangalore has the reputation of performing the greatest series of airway stents in the country.
- Additionally, the hospital is known for providing comprehensive treatment in specialties such as gastroenterology, urology, gynecology, oncology, colorectal surgery, etc.
- The “The Minimal Access Surgery Centre” (MASC), one of Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore’s premier Centres of Excellence, is devoted to the use of minimally invasive surgical procedures.
- In 2013, THE WEEK-A C Nielsen, Best Hospital Survey ranked Apollo Hospitals Bangalore as the 2nd best multi-speciality hospital in Bangalore.
- City: Mumbai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Gleneagles Global Hospital The 450-bed facility comprises of 17-stories, housing state-of-the-art infrastructure, and advanced medical care facilities.
- The hospital offers end-to-end clinical, surgical, and diagnostic services. It is equipped with a team of eminent medical professionals aided by qualified nurses and medical staff
- The Hospital offers advanced Endoscopic procedures, Hepatobiliary and Liver Surgeries, Surgical and Medical Gastroenterology, Bariatric Surgery, and Robotic surgery.
- The hospital is a center of excellence for Orthopedics, Joint Replacement, Knee Replacement, and Hip Replacement surgery.
- City: Hyderabad, India
Hospital Highlights:
- CARE Hospitals were established in the year 2000, by CARE Group.
- The multispecialty hospital has 435 beds, including 120 critical care beds, with an annual inflow of 180000 outpatients and 16,000 in-patients.
- The hospital provides specialty medical services in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Nephrology, and Urology.
- The hospital has the first dual source, 128 slice CT scanner (for high precision cardiac imaging) – the first of its kind in south India.
- The hospital offers a wide range of accommodation facilities for the convenience of its varied patient base, ranging from general wards to super deluxe rooms.
- City: Mumbai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital in Mulund is a 315-bed multi-speciality tertiary care hospital with five JCI accreditations that offers a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment services. The Fortis Hospital in Mulund delivers patient-centred treatment with cutting-edge technology, highly skilled and experienced surgeons, and paramedical staff.
- This institution houses Maharashtra’s largest multi-organ transplant centre. It is also the first heart transplant centre in western India to conduct 100 or more consecutive heart transplants in under four years. It is the only hospital in the city to have multi-organ transplants and has handled the youngest patient for angioplasty. Fortis Hospital Mulund now boasts the first advanced surgical robot in central Mumbai.
- Cardiology and heart surgery, urology, nephrology, neurosciences, orthopaedics, digestive care, emergency and critical care, and maternity care are among the services provided by the hospital.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, is a super-specialty hospital in Dwarka, New Delhi, which is a part of Manipal Hospitals Group.
- The hospital aims to provide the best treatment on par with international standards at a fraction of the cost.
- Equipped with 380 beds, the hospital is also one of the new age hospitals which are equipped fully with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge technology as well as the latest and advanced clinical practices. The hospital also has 13 modular Operation theatres with 118 beds which are solely meant for critical care.
- The hospital comprises internationally acclaimed doctors and highly professional and experienced hospital and medical staff who are able to provide preventive, therapeutic, and diagnostic services all under one roof.
- City: Chennai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Located in Chennai, India, MGM Healthcare is a top multispecialty hospital that provides all medical services under one roof.
- Since its founding in 2019, MGM Healthcare has quickly become a leading national referral centre, creating several innovative flagship initiatives.
- MGM Healthcare combines next-generation medical and digital technologies to provide better patient results.
- With 12 centres of excellence, more than 400 inpatient beds, 100 intensive care unit beds, and 24/7 emergency care, MGM Healthcare leaves no chance in redefining the patient experience in Chennai.
- MGM Healthcare boasts 250+ expert doctors across 30+ departments, including Cardiology, Pulmonology, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and more.
- They house 12 specialized Centres of Excellence, including Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, and Multi-Organ Transplantation.
- Their team of doctors, nurses, and paramedics works together to give every patient individualized treatment.
Hospital Highlights:
- Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre is India’s premier multi-speciality tertiary care hospital and has been recognised as a global medical excellence centre.
- Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre has built an unrivalled level of trust with its patients over the years, thanks to a solid foundation that comprises cutting-edge facilities, the best medical competence, research, education, and charity endeavours.
- The hospital is quite proud of the fact that it now serves patients from all kinds of backgrounds, not just from the United States but from all around the world.
- The hospital has a total of 323 beds, one of the largest Intensive Care Units (ICUs), 12 Operation Theatres with modern amenities, over 300 consultants, and almost 1,800 personnel.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
A chronic, inflammatory disorder affecting more than just joints is called rheumatoid arthritis. It can damage a wide variety of body systems in some people, like lungs, skin, heart, eyes and blood vessels. It is an autoimmune disorder that takes place when the immune system attacks its own body tissues mistakenly. The condition affects the lining of the joints. This causes a painful swelling resulting in joint deformity and bone erosion.
Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis
When your immune system attacks the synovium (the lining of the membranes surrounding the joints), it causes rheumatoid arthritis. The synovium thickens due to the resulting inflammation that destroys the cartilage and bone within the joint. The ligament and the tendons hold the joint together. In rheumatoid arthritis, they weaken and stretch. The joint loses its shape & alignment because of this. Your genes don’t cause the disease but make you susceptible to environmental factors like an infection from bacteria and viruses which trigger the disease.
Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may be:
- Joint stiffness that worsens in the morning or after an inactivity.
- Warm, tender and swollen joints.
- Fever, fatigue and loss of appetite.
In the initial stages, the disease affects the smaller joints, especially the joints attaching your fingers to the hands and the toes to the feet. With the progression of the disease, symptoms start spreading to the ankles, wrists, elbows, knees, shoulders, and hips. The symptoms may also occur on the same joints on both sides of the body in some cases. A significant number of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis experience other signs and symptoms without the involvement of the joints. The disease may affect other non-joint structures like heart, skin, bone marrow, eyes, salivary glands, blood vessels, lungs, nerve tissue and kidneys.
The symptoms vary in severity and the person may or may not experience the symptoms at times. There might be a period of increased disease activity or a period of relative remissions when the pain and swelling disappear. The disease may cause the joints to reform and ultimately, shift from their place to some other.
Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis
The disease is difficult to diagnose initially. However, your doctor can check your joints for redness, swelling and warmth during physical examination along with checking the muscle strength and your reflexes.
Blood tests
People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis experience increased ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) or CRP (C-reactive protein). This indicates that an inflammatory process is present in the body. Other blood tests may include looking for the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies or rheumatoid factor.
Imaging tests
Your doctor may ask you to take X-rays to aid in tracking the progression of the disease in the joints of your body over time. Ultrasound tests and MRI help your doctor understand the severity of rheumatoid arthritis in your body.
Treatment options for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Medications
The severity of the disease depicted in your symptoms will play a role in deciding the type of medications apt for you. Also, the duration of the disease is important while recommending drugs.
- Steroids- Corticosteroid medications like prednisolone reduce pain, inflammation and slow down the damage to the joints. The side effects of these drugs include weight gain, thinning of bones and diabetes. Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids to relieve the acute symptoms.
- NSAIDs- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce the inflammation and relieve the pain in your body. Your doctor may prescribe stronger NSAIDs to you. The side effects of these drugs are heart problems, stomach irritation and kidney damage.
- DMARDs- Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs slow down the progression of the disease while saving the joints and tissues from permanent damage due to rheumatoid arthritis. The most common disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are leflunomide (Arava), methotrexate (otrexup, trexall), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil). The side effects of these drugs may be bone marrow suppression, liver damage and severe lung infections.
- Biologic agents- Biologic agents or biologic response modifiers are a new class of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and include adalimumab (Humira), baricitinib (Olumiant), etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), sarilumab (Kevzara), tofacitinib (Xeljanz), abatacept (Orencia), certolizumab (Cimzia), golimumab (Simponi), rituximab (Rituxan), tocilizumab (Actemra), and anakinra (Kineret).
They target some parts of the immune system triggering inflammation and causing joint & tissue damage. These drugs also increase the risk of infection. Biologic DMARDs are the most effective upon pairing with a nonbiologic DMARD like methotrexate.
Therapy
Surgery
If the drugs cannot prevent or slow down joint damage, you may need to undergo surgery for the repair of the damaged joints. It helps to restore the ability to use your joint. It improves function and reduces pain. The surgery may involve one or more surgical procedures from the following:
Synovectomy
Synovectomy is performed on hips, knees, wrists, elbows and fingers; it removes the inflamed lining of the joint called synovium.
Tendon repair
Joint damage and inflammation cause the tendons around your joints to rupture or loosen. Your doctor will repair the tendons around the joints.
Joint fusion
Your doctor may recommend surgically fusing a joint to realign or stabilize a joint. It also relieves pain when joint replacement is not a favorable option.
Total joint replacement
Your doctor or surgeon may remove the damaged parts of the joint during the surgery and replace them by inserting a prosthesis made from plastic and metal.
Risks and complications
There is an equal risk of infection, bleeding and pain during surgeries. Your doctor may recommend the surgery best suited for you according to your condition and severity of the disease. You can also discuss the benefits and possible risks of each surgery before opting for one with your doctor.