Rheumatoid Arthritis Essay

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 an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. While inflammation of the tissue around the joints and inflammatory arthritis are characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease can also cause inflammation and injury in other organs in the

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints in the wrists and knuckles, though it may occur in any joint. It spreads throughout the body and damages connective tissues and organs. It will eventually, if unchecked, stiffen the joints in deformed positions. In this disease inflamed tissues erode the bones and cartilage.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that is characterized by inflammation of the peripheral joints, but it may also involve the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. The prevalence of this autoimmune disease is between 0.3% to 1.5% of the population in the United States (Feinberg, pp 815). It affects women two to three times more often than men, and the onset of RA is usually between 25 and 50 years of age, but it can occur at any age (Reed, pp 584). RA can be diagnosed by establishing the presence of persistent joint pain, swelling in a symmetric distribution, and prolonged morning stiffness. RA usually affects multiple joints, such as the hands, wrists, knees, elbows, feet, shoulders, hips, and small

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease. The disease happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks a healthy tissue as if it was a foreign invader, such as a virus or bacteria. If left untreated it can lead to permanent joint damage, decrease in quality of life, and total disability. It affects over a million people in the U.S. alone. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include persistent joint inflammation which causes joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. Fatigue and stiffness are usually early symptoms. Joint pain can be an early symptom in a variety of diseases. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis often develop slowly over a period of weeks or longer, but this is not always the case, it can have an acute

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 (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease associated with swelling and pain in multiple joints. First joint tissue to be affected is the synovial membrane, which lines joint cavity. Multiple immune-regulatory cytokines (such as B-cells and interleukins) contribute to joint damage. Eventually, inflammation may spread to articular cartilage, fibrous joint capsule, and surrounding ligaments and tendons, causing pain, joint deformity, and loss of function.

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

The process involves an inflammatory response of the capsule around the joints (synovium) secondary to swelling (hyperplasia) of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development of fibrous tissue (pannus) in the synovium (Gerd et al.,2014). RA is more prevalent among women than men, and usually develops in the fourth and fifth decades of life, with 80% of the total cases occurring between ages 35 and 50 (Kavanaugh and Lipsky 1996).RA reduces lifespan on average from three to twelve years. RA is associated with decreased physical function, disability, under employment, and overall diminished quality of life. (Maclean C H et al., 2000). When it occurs in children it is called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. The incidence and prevalence of RA differs significantly over time and between continents. The prevalence in developing countries ranges between 0.1 and 0.5% (Akar et al., 2004). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory illness with prevalence of approximately 0.75% in India (Ausaf et al.,

The inflammatory reaction also stimulates a papillary overgrowth of the synovium, known as proliferative synovitis. The Epstein-Barr virus is suspected of triggering a T-lymphocyte autoimmune reaction that attacks the synovial membrane. Also, the immune reaction in RA includes not only T lymphocytes, but also B lymphocytes, which is evidence by the fact that about 75% of patients with RA have in their blood an antibody complex, rheumatoid factor (RF). If the inflammation of the synovial membrane cannot be suppressed it will result in increasing damage to the joint, due to the release of protein-degrading enzymes from inflammatory and other cells, and a conversion of parts of the synovial membrane into an inflammatory tissue called pannus which can invade the bone and cartilage at the margins of the

In the United States, 1.5 million people are victims of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis affects three times more women than men at the of 30 to 60. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease where an individual’s immune system mistakenly attacks one’s own joints causing ever joint swelling and inflammation. RA is a disease that causes inflammation in the tissues that support the inside of an individual’s joint called synovium which results in swelling and pain in the joints (Driver, n.d.). The synovium is important in assisting the joints to remain lubricates in order to maintain smooth movement between the joints. With untreated inflammation of the synovium will cause damage to the cartilage; excessive damage or loss of

There is a difference between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a complex disease with many different symptoms. Even though both cause joint pain they are both chronic and non-curable diseases, they both have different causes, symptoms, and prognoses. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that is the results of increased wear on joints. It is estimated that 27 million American have Osteoarthritis. Certain jobs or things that require repetitive motion can cause the cartilage to wear down. The different symptoms of osteoarthritis symptoms are joint pain that last less than thirty minutes in the morning, possible spine and hip pain, and joint

Arthritis is an inflammation of the joint(s). There are tons of different types of arthritis, but the two most common types include; osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is common when an infection or an injury occurs to the joints, which can then breakdown cartilage tissue. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disorder. This happens when your immune system attacks the tissue of the body. You can tell if you have some type of arthritis if you have pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. Sometimes you can see redness on the skin around the joint. My grandma has arthritis and I can sometimes see the redness around her joints, and her fingers become very swollen and stiff

It’s an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the lining of the joints. An autoimmune disease occurs when the individuals own immune system fails to recognize healthy tissue. The immune system, designed to protect our health by attacking foreign cells such as viruses, instead attacks the body’s healthy tissue. As a result, fluid builds up in the joints causing inflammation and joint pain. According to WebMD, Rheumatoid Arthritis is a type of arthritis that occurs in joints on both sides of the body. This symmetry helps distinguish Rheumatoid Arthritis from other types of arthritis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “the inflamed synovium leads to erosions of the cartilage and bone.” This inflammatory process primarily affects the lining of the joints, known as the synovial membrane, but can also affect other organs. As stated by James Warson, “the causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis are not known, but several theories are under investigation” (63). Some theories suggest that a virus may alter the immune system, causing it to attack the joints. Other theories suggest that exposure to smoking may lead to Rheumatoid Arthritis. It’s believed to be due to a combination of genetic, environmental, and hormonal

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the body’s immune system attacks the joints and other healthy cells. This creates inflammation inside of the joints, which then causes swelling and pain in and around the joints. If inflammation goes unchecked,