Rheumatoid Arthritis : What Is It?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease that affects whole systems of body particularly cardiovascular system, nerves, respiratory system (RACGP, 2009). The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are unknown but it is hereditary which assists to have a risk of rheumatoid arthritis by 50%-60% (RACGP, 2009).

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 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 type of chronic arthritis that occurs in joints on both sides of the body, such as both hands, both wrists, or both knees. This symmetry helps distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from other types of arthritis”. If a joint is deemed as arthritic that means that there is inflammation within the joint. Inflammation within a joint can cause swelling, redness, warmth and pain within that joint. Rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects the joints, but may also affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, or nerves. Rheumatoid arthritis can present itself in many different ways. For some, joint symptoms develop gradually over several years, while others may develop quickly. Some people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis for a short

In general, arthritis is a group of more than one hundred inflammatory diseases that damage joints and their surrounding structures, resulting in symptomatic pain, disability, and system wide inflammation (Rogers). Out of the one hundred plus types of arthritis, the two most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the joints, most often in the hands and feet. It results in swelling, stiffness, pain, and sometimes joint, bone, and cartilage destruction. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects joints on both sides of the body equally, meaning if a joint on one side is affected, the same joint on the opposite side is affected as well. Rheumatoid arthritis belongs to a group of diseases called autoimmune disorders that affects joints. In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the soft tissues lining of the joints. Eventually the cartilage, bone, and ligaments of the joint deteriorate, causing deformity, instability, and scarring within the joint

Osteoarthritis frequently affects the small finger joints and thumb, as well as the knees (Rheumatoid Arthritis.org, 2016). RA affects several joints in comparison to OA that affect one joint or area (Rheumatoid Arthritis.org, 2016). Osteoarthritis affects more people than rheumatoid arthritis. According to Rheumatoid Arthritis.org, (2016), 27 million people develop osteoarthritis and around 1.3 million people develop rheumatoid arthritis. Although OA is more prevalent in the population, females tend to be diagnosed are higher rates and experience the pain and stiffness alike (Rheumatoid Arthritis.org, 2016). RA appears in people between the age of thirty and sixty years of age. Osteoarthritis generally develops later in life. The signs and symptoms of RA are joint pain, stiffness, swelling joints, symmetrical symptoms, stiffness lasting greater than 30 minutes in the AM, fatigue, fever, and malaise (Rheumatoid Arthritis.org, 2016). In comparison, OA symptoms feature joint pain and stiffness which is unequally distributed and experienced in hands, fingers, knees, spine, and hips with stiffness in the AM lasting less than 30 minutes (Rheumatoid Arthritis.org, 2016). Another note is that with RA other diseases involving the lung, heart, musculoskeletal problems are common and continuous problems from the effects of inflammation (Huether & McCance,

Rheumatoid Arthritis, what is it? The word Rheumatoid comes from the Greek word referring to rheumatism, which means any painful disorder from the joints. Arthritis means inflammation of the joint. (William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979). Putting these two words together Rheumatoid Arthritis creates a disorder. The pathophysiology of RA is that it is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory autoimmune disease which means that this disorder is attacking your own body (Silvestri, 2013).

Rheumatoid Arthritis or (RA) is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joints and connective tissue. The result is inflammation that produces permanent damage in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that tends to be progressive and destructive as compared to Osteoarthritis or (OA), which is more of an age related disease caused by “wear and tear” of the joints. In contrast to (OA), rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation mostly of the joints, but is a general body disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that has direct involvement with the immune system. This disease is considered to be degenerative and currently the only thing that can be done is manage the painful symptoms and suppress the self targeting actions by using immune suppressing drugs. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is mostly unknown but there is a high amount of evidence that there are genetic predispositions for the disease. This being said however there are also environmental factors to asses these include, bacteria, viruses, fungi and other environmental factors. Doctors primarily use a physical examination to first suspect R.A. then send for blood work to confirm. There are many aspects to this disease and many questions left

Thus, RA is a disease that affects the joints. It embodied by a flare up and remission. Although, this disease often occur in more than one joint and can affect any joint in the body. People with this disease may physically exhaust or fatigued experience fevers. Furthermore, RA is by far the most serious,

Rheumatic arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive disorder that commonly presents a group of mechanically related disorders concerning the degenerative nature of joints that is specifically affecting the articular cartilage and subchondral bone (1). Thus, causing a dip in the quality of life in RA patients. The aetiology for RA is unclear, however, a combination of hereditary susceptibility causes a reaction that causes severe inflammation in the synovial membrane (1). However, other factors such as the immunological, hormonal and environmental factors plays a role in development of RA (2). The pathology of RA is characterised by an insidious order of biological events that will eventually lead to articular cartilage destruction and secondary changes in surrounding tissues (1). The pathological changes to joints consequently lead to structural deformity and functional disability. The clinical presentation of RA patients are often intermittent joint pain, worse on movement; stiffness; and, limited range of motion (ROM) and joint instability, either due to loss of articular cartilage, or effusions into the joint cavity (1-3).

I decided to select rheumatoid arthritis as the pathology for my research paper because I see patients come in to have images taken of their hands to see if they have rheumatoid arthritis all the time, but I do not know what rheumatoid arthritis looks like on a radiograph and many of the patients that come in are female. The relevancy of rheumatoid arthritis is that the patient will become disabled if untreated, but if diagnosed in the early stages, may prevent patient from becoming disabled.

“Rheumatoid arthritis, RA, causes premature mortality, disability and compromised quality of life in the developed and emerging world (cdc.gov).” RA is the most common of chronic inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition; it is a chronic inflammatory polyarthritis, in which more than five joints are affected. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory disease which it manifests itself in numerous joints of the body. The inflammatory process mainly affects the lining of the joints, usually small joints then leading to many other organs. “Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of chronic arthritis that occurs in joints on both sides of the body. This symmetry helps distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from other types of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis may also affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, or nerves (webmd.com).”

In the condition of Rheumatoid Arthritis, your body’s own immune system attacks your joints. The joints in the fingers and wrist are most often affected in Rheumatoid Arthritis but, it can indeed affect any joint. Another difference between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis is their popularity. Rheumatoid Arthritis affects a much smaller audience than Osteoarthritis (about 90% smaller). Contrast to Osteoarthritis, which develops over the course of many years, Rheumatoid Arthritis occurs and develops within only a few months. About the only similarity between these two forms of Arthritis, besides the fact that they’re both forms of Arthritis, is the area these conditions affect. Both Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis solely affect the joints, which is a given considering the prefix arthr- means joints. Another similarity between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis lies in their diagnosis. A simple x-ray can diagnose both of the disorders. Osteoarthritis can also be diagnosed through arthrocentesis, in which case they insert a needle in you that receives fluid to be analyzed. Rheumatoid Arthritis is very difficult to diagnose in