Thursday, December 8, 2011

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis

By Jenna Price


Rheumatoid Arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease. In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system attacks the body's own tissue instead of attacking foreign cell such as viruses and bacteria. Because of this attack, fluid builds up in the joints causing pain and inflammation that can occur throughout the body.

Rheumatoid arthritis may impact many different joints and damage cartilage, muscles and ligaments - it can even put on away the finishes of your bones. One common outcome is combined deformity as well as disability. Over time, the irritation that characterizes RA can also affect numerous organs and internal systems. But it mainly assaults synovial joints in the hands, wrists, knees and ankles. In some people with rheumatoid arthritis, persistent inflammation results in the destruction of the cartilage material, bone, as well as ligaments, causing deformity of the joints. Damage to the important joints can occur earlier in the disease and be progressive. Moreover, studies have shown which the progressive harm to the joints doesn't necessarily correlate with the degree of pain, tightness, or swelling present in the important joints.

Inflammation in the joints causes the release of destructive enzymes from the inflammatory cells that have been attracted to the synovial tissue. The enzymes also collect in the fluid. These enzymes, which are usually part of the body's defense against bacteria, find the tissues in the joint to be grist for their destructive activity, and they also attack the cartilage covering the joint surfaces. This destruction can continue into the bone, and the joint can be so damaged as to render it incapable of normal function.

Rheumatoid arthritis is 2 to 3 times more prevalent in women compared to in men and usually occurs in between the ages of Forty and 60 but can additionally occur in any ages. Rheumatoid arthritis typically manifests with signs of inflammation, with the impacted joints becoming swollen, warm, painful as well as stiff, especially early in the morning on waking or following extented inactivity.

It can be difficult to determine whether disease symptoms are directly caused by the rheumatoid process itself, or even from negative effects of the medications popular to treat this. Increased tightness early in the morning is often a notable feature of the illness and usually lasts for more than an hour. These types of signs help distinguish rheumatoid through non-inflammatory problems of the important joints. Gentle movements may reduce symptoms in early stages of the illness. The disease frequently begins gradually, usually with just minor pain, stiffness, as well as fatigue. Additional symptoms include the subsequent:

*Joint Pain *Joint Swelling *Joint Soreness *Morning Stiffness that may last for an hour or more *Fatigue *Fever *Weight Loss *Red as well as Puffy Hands *Weakness *Loss of Appetite

It can be a disabling or painful condition, be responsible for substantial reduction of functioning as well as mobility if not adequately handled. Eventually, joint pain appears. When the joint is not used for a while, it can become warm, tender, as well as stiff. When the lining of the combined becomes swollen, it gives off more liquid and the combined becomes swollen. Joint pain is usually felt on each side of the body, and could affect the fingers, wrists, arms, shoulders, sides, knees, shins, toes, and neck. The synovitis of RA affects multiple sites causing prevalent pain, and the subsequent damage of the joints can result in severe disability impacting all aspects of engine function through walking to good movements of the hands.

Furthermore, RA is not simply a disease of the joints but can affect many other organs causing, for example, widespread vasculitis or severe lung fibrosis. More recently it has become apparent that RA is associated with an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease and significant increased risk of premature mortality. But this disease can be somehow treated but not completely cure.




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