Gastritis is an affliction in the intestinal tract and rheumatoid arthritis is painful inflammation of the joints. At first glance, it looks like the two have nothing to do with each other, since they affect different areas of the body. However, over 60% of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers have gastritis and rheumatoid arthritis. That's too big of a coincidence to ignore.

Inflammations Here And There

If one health problem pops up, it's rarely unaccompanied. It usually has a host of other medical problems along with it to keep it company. Also, there is more evidence that the systems of the body are more interconnected than once thought. So, having both gastritis and rheumatoid arthritis is almost a given for a patient. They like to hang out together.

Usually, you get signs of gastritis before your get signs of rheumatoid arthritis, but it doesn't always happen that way. Gastritis and rheumatoid arthritis are both inflammations of body parts – the stomach for gastritis and the body's joints for arthritis. Both gastritis and rheumatoid arthritis are considered problems of the body's immune system.

The Body's Immune System

When the body gets sick, it has usually been invaded by cells that shouldn't be there. This could be due to an illness like a bacterial infection or due to an injury. In order to fight the chemical invasion, the body gets to battle. It sends out white blood cells, antibodies and other proteins, in particular, to get rid of the invading menace.

However, sometimes the body's immune system gets carried away, kind of like a soldier who goes absolutely berserk. He just keeps on killing – no matter if he's killing his own side. The body can mistakenly attack itself, such as with gastritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It attacks its own stomach. In rheumatoid arthritis, the body attacks the joints such as ankles, neck, wrists and spine.

Treatment

Although some general practitioners will treat both conditions, you are usually sent to an arthritis specialist (called a rheumatologist). Any medicines given to a sufferer usually targets just one problem and not both. You do have to be careful that medicines for arthritis pain don’t worsen your gastritis. One of the more popular alternative therapies, acupuncture, does give relief to both gastritis and rheumatoid arthritis for some people. You also need to be on a sensible diet, exercise regularly and learn better methods of stress management, like meditation rather than drinking alcohol.