Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore Secretary of Association of Physicians of India Indore-chapter Dr Akshat Pandey said that the treatment of rheumatology is turning cheaper with the advancement in facilities and research. ‘Two years ago, its one-month therapy used to cost Rs 18k-20k, but now it costs Rs 1k-1200. Only 4-5 medicines were available for treatment of arthritis around 15 years ago but now we have many treatment options available mainly the biological agents which are proving effective.

Apart from this, JAK inhibitor molecules have also been playing important role in treatment and pulling down the treatment cost,’ he added while talking to media persons on the sidelines of rheumatology conference on Sunday. Highlighting the effect of disease on family planning, Dr Vinod Ravindran said that if a pregnant woman has arthritis or any related disease, then she needs to be very careful as it can be triggered during pregnancy.

‘If any woman is suffering from any auto-immune disease, then before planning a baby, she and her husband should discuss with their doctor about the stage of the disease. It is important to understand that if we can use 10 medicines normally, then only 2 medicines can be used in case of pregnancy,’ he said, Dr Ravindran also added that arthritis is not a genetic disease. Hence it is not necessary that if the mother has it, then her children will also have it. It is an auto-immune condition that varies from individual to individual and changes over time.