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Overview
Rheumatoid arthritis is different than age-related arthritis, although some of the symptoms are similar. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. As is the case in all autoimmune diseases, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. As the disease progresses, individuals with rheumatoid arthritis become increasingly immobile occasionally to the point of being entirely disabled.
Symptoms
Rheumatoid arthritis can affect not only the joints, but the tissues surrounding the joints such as ligaments, muscles and tendons. It can also affect organs of the body in addition to the joints. When patients with rheumatoid arthritis are experiencing inflammation, the joints will become difficult to move, swollen, red and painful to the touch. In addition, they may also have a low-grade fever, have a decreased appetite as well as muscle and body aches.
Demography
Rheumatoid arthritis afflicts more than a million people in the United States. While it impacts women more than men, no race is more susceptible than another. Usually symptoms begin after the age of 40, but there are occasions when younger individuals are affected. Cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis do exist but are rare.
Causes
The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are largely unknown. Some cases have been known to develop after an injury. Other cases may be caused by a virus. Rheumatoid arthritis is also thought to have a genetic component, because many times multiple members of a single family can be affected.
Progression
The symptoms of RA can be intermittent and depend on the extent to which tissues are swollen. Remission is possible and can be sporadic ranging in time from weeks to years. During remission, individuals with rheumatoid arthritis can feel completely normal before a relapse occurs. Periods of remission and relapse are common in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
The chronic joint inflammation that comes with rheumatoid arthritis can ultimately lead to the erosion of bone tissue and the connective tissues surrounding the joints. This can cause these joints to become deformed.
Treatment
There are two types of medications people with rheumatoid arthritis generally take. The first types of medications are generally anti-inflammatories and work on the symptoms of the disease (mainly swelling). Steroid injections in the joints are also sometimes warranted and fall into this category, but are not always recommended. The second type of medication works on the disease itself in an attempt to get the disease to go into remission and prevent joint damage from the effects of the disease. Usually, both of these drugs are taken in tandem. The earlier one begins treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, the better the outcome.
