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Is there any truth to the idea that I'll live longer if I have less pain to deal with? Having rheumatoid arthritis has really limited my daily activities. It's been suggested to me that if I would have surgery for my wrist pain, I would have a better quality of life and then live longer.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that can affect many parts of the body. Joints are the most painful but there can be cardiac involvement, skin problems, kidney disease, vision changes, and neurologic problems. The course of RA can vary considerably from mild to severely disabling and is difficult to predict. It appears that adults today with RA have less severe symptoms and less functional disability than even 10 years ago. This positive trend and more favorable course of disease may be attributed to earlier diagnosis. Results are better with a shorter duration of symptoms at the time of diagnosis and more aggressive use of drug therapy. When only the joints are involved, the rheumatoid arthritis is not life-threatening. Having severe wrist involvement can reduce function but it does not reduce life expectancy. Still, there are people who would trade a few years of life for less pain and improved quality of life. If your pain is not being controlled with medications and conservative (nonoperative) care, then surgery may be indicated. Your rheumatologist and health care team (physical therapist, surgeon) can also help guide you in making this decision.

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