Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rheumatoid (rue-ma-TOYD) arthritis is a chronic disease, it's mostly inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis also results in inflammation around joints, and other organs of your body.  This chronic disease can result into joint damage, chronic pain, and even loss of function and disability of joints. This chronic disease is an effect of what is called autoimmune disease, in which the body's tissues can be attacked by its own immune system. 

While rheumatoid arthritis is a type of arthritis, many doctors refer to it as rheumatoid disease.  This type of arthritis can be a long term chronic illness that could bother patients for many years down the road.

Rheumatoid arthritis comes in a progressive three phrases. The first phrase is a swelling and redness around the joint and joint areas. Usually with the swelling comes stiffness, pain, and even warmth of the joint. The second phrase of rheumatoid arthritis is where the soft tissue that lines the joint becomes hardened and thick.  This effect is due to the growth of cells and rapid division of this soft tissue. The last phrase is cells that become inflamed, will release enzymes which will attack cartilage and bone.  This attack will usually end up effecting the alignment and shape of joints, which cause the person with rheumatoid arthritis even more pain, stiffness, and less movement of the joint.

This type of arthritis is always called a systemic disease, because it cannot only attack or effect joints, but it could effect other organs in the body such as skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles. . Rheumatoid arthritis can be found in over 1 percent of the population in the United States or close to 2.1 million people.  Close to 60% of people who have rheumatoid arthritis will be unable to properly function in around 10 years from finding they had this disease. While the cause of Rheumatoid is still unknown, many have different theories.

While there is no actual known cure for rheumatoid arthritis, it's best to treat it as early as possible, and with today's drugs and technology it is becoming easier to control.  While rheumatoid arthritis is one of the top researched arthritis diseases, the studies are hoping to only help others to live a happier and healthy lifestyle in the future.

Rheumatoid arthritis effects anyone, and doctors still have not found any major links to what causes it.  The range is from children up to elderly people.  Though, rheumatoid arthritis does appear in close to 70% of women.  While women are  two almost three times more likely to get rheumatoid arthritis than men, the males seem to have more severe effects and cases when they do receive this type of arthritis.