Rheumatoid Arthritis: Autoimmune Disease

Rheumatoid Arthritis or “RA” is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body tissues. This disease affects the lining of joints causing pain and swelling. Eventually the swelling can lead to bone erosion and joint deformity. RA can happen to anyone at any age, but the majority of people who have to endure this disease are women over the age of 40.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease that is systemic in nature but primarily targets and damages the synovial joints. It is characterized by painful, swollen, stiff joints, which manifest primarily in the hands, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and feet. RA is more common among women than men and increases in prevalence with age, however it can also occur in young adults and children (Lee & Weinblatt, 2001).

In osteoarthritis, the cartilage at the end of bones wears down and produces rough, hard, edges of bone which cause trouble. This generally begins after 40, and 16 million in the U.S. have it. In rheumatoid arthritis, the cartilage at the end of bones is destroyed and is replaced with scar tissue. Then swelling occurs, and the joints may eventually fuse together. While osteoarthritis only affects individual joints, rheumatoid arthritis ultimately affects all synovial joints in a person's body.

Today in the United States there is an estimated 1.3 million people living and dealing with rheumatoid arthritis (Arthritis Foundation). One might ask, what exactly is rheumatoid arthritis? Well, rheumatoid arthritis, also commonly known as RA, is a form of inflammatory disease and an autoimmune disease. If the person is a minor, or below the age of six-teen, then the chronic disease can also go by the name of juvenile arthritis. The juvenile arthritis is, “Defined as chronic inflammation of the synovial joints, with unknown etiology, which starts before the age of sixteen and persists for at least six weeks” (Hink et al 1). This disease can affect anyone with a functioning immune system. Out of the 1.3 million people in the United States that have rheumatoid arthritis, 70% of that number is women (RA.com). Once again there are no certain reasons as to who receives this disease whether its children, elders, Caucasians, African Americans, etc. But once they do receive the illness, then it affects them immensely. “The disease is systemic, meaning it can occur throughout the whole body. It’s a chronic disease, so it can’t be cured” (Arthritis Foundation). The pain, stiffness and fatigue can affect the entire body. “RA occurs when your immune system, the system that protects your body from outside harm, mistakenly starts attacking healthy tissue” (RA.com). Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable disease that is affecting

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology with an autoimmune pathogenesis; it has the characteristics by arthropathy with severe bone deforming and systemic manifestations (Negrie, et

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an inflammatory disease that affects the small joints in your hands and feet. It affects the lining of your joints causing pain and swelling. Which can eventually cause bone erosion and joint deformity? An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system attacks its own body tissue. This disease can occur at any age but usually between the age of 40 and 60 years of age. Rheumatoid arthritis usually attacks your smaller joints first, such as those that attach your fingers to your hands, and your toes to your feet. As the disease progresses, symptoms sometimes spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. Over time it can cause your joints to deform and shift out of place.(National

Rheumatoid Arthritis had a couple of different names such as arthritis deformans, and rheumatoid gout (Mandal, 2009). However with the studies conducted by Alfred Garrod, he was able to make a clear distinction between Rheumatoid Arthritis and osteoarthritis and gout (Mandal, 2009). Rheumatoid Arthritis has been around for quite some time, and it seems as if it is very prevalent in the present times as well.

Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is abbreviated as (RA), by definition, is an inflammatory immune-mediated defect. In developed countries, its prevalence is about 0.5 to 1%. It is a serious disease whose effects can at times lead to permanent disability. Some of the effects include bone erosion, articular destruction and chronic synovial inflammation, which results in functional decline and disability. The Introduction of effective and efficient intervention has been put in place to reduce joint damage and functional impairment.

Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA has been around since early humanity. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory joint disease, which can cause cartilage and bone damage. Diseased joints have been found in well preserved Egyptian mummies. Showing that arthritis was prevalent among Egyptians. Hippocrates a Greek physician who is known for the Hippocratic oath, described the symptoms of arthritis. It was not until 216 AD that the term rheumatismus was used to describe the joint inflammation. Alfred Baring Garrod, an English physician, in the mid 1800s named the disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis to help distinguish the disease from osteoarthritis and gout. In 1932 the committee of Rheumatism was created and it later became the American College of Rheumatology.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that is described as “systematic inflammatory disease that manifests itself in multiple joints in the body”. (Center for Disease Control, 22 Jul. 2016) It is an autoimmune disease that affects millions in the US both directly and indirectly. RA affects both genders and is prevalent in people of all races and nationalities. Symptoms for RA include swollen or stiffness in joints, fatigue, and fever. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 18 Mar. 2016) Treatment for RA ranges from corticosteroids, to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), to an aggressive treatment with non-biological disease-modifying antiheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (Arthritis Foundation National Office, Web. 5 Sep. 2016) Therapy with a physical or occupational therapist could assist with reducing inflammation and even pain through exercise motions, and provide relief in completing daily tasks. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 18 Mar. 2016).

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an inflammatory disease that with time can destroy joints and decline movement and function (Kahlenberg et al. 1). The inflammation that causes this disease can produce pain and stiffness of the joints. If the problem is not solved, deformity can occur as damage of the joints progress. Sometimes other organs can be affected as well, for example, Rheumatoid Arthritis can lead to cardiovascular problems and changes of the bone metabolism because of the chronic inflammation. In addition, Rheumatoid Arthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis that affect many people in the world. However, as time passes, new medications are been develop and have shown great improvement in the outcomes of the disease ( Kahlenberg et al. 1). In this overview, the pathology, signs and symptoms, treatment, and prognosis would be discussed to give a better understanding of how can Rheumatoid Arthritis affect the human

Rheumatoid arthritis or (RA) can be difficult to diagnose for several reasons and there are many ways to diagnose it. Since there is no single test for the disease, there are just three ways to specify whether the patient has the disease or not. In addition, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis diseases can be similar that makes the diagnosing process inaccurate. Moreover, the symptoms vary from patient to another and it develops over time, so it can be severe in some people than the others can. As a result, doctors use several ways to diagnose this disease and to rule out the others. At the beginning, doctors always ask the patients to describe the symptoms and if it changed over time or not. In addition, they

Arthritis is one of the oldest and most chronic disease in the world. As the name suggests “arthr-” meaning joint and “-itis” meaning inflammation, hence arthritis primarily affects joints, which are the places where bones meet and movement occurs. It is characterized by swelling, pain and stiffness in the joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that can cause chronic inflammation in the joints and other parts of the body. It affects the lining of the joints that causes painful swelling that can eventually lead to joint distortion and bone erosion. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect people of all ages but it mostly begins after the age of 40 and has been found to more prevalent in women. There is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis and treatment focuses on controlling the symptoms and preventing further joint damage. Numerous treatments such as medication and surgery can help a great deal and for some natural treatments are more favorable. It is best to consult your doctor if you’re planning to take on

Arthritis is a disease process that many people are affected by today. It is defined as, “painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints”. Within arthritis, there are two different types of this inflammatory disease; osteoarthritis, which is the result of, bones rubbing together due to loss of synovial fluid and rheumatoid arthritis which is caused by an autoimmune disease process. There are many different treatment options available from over the counter medication to powerful prescription medication. People of all ages, sexes and races can and do have arthritis, and it is the leading cause of disability in America. Severe arthritis can result in chronic pain, inability to do daily activities.