What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the body’s joints and tissues causing inflammation. It is a chronic pain disorder with no cure. RA’s occurrence in women is roughly two to three times than the occurrence in men. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect children, teenagers, adults, and senior citizens.
What is RA?
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the body’s joints and tissues causing inflammation. It is a chronic pain disorder with no cure. RA’s occurrence in women is roughly two to three times than the occurrence in men. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect children, teenagers, adults, and senior citizens.
What does RA stand for?
RA is short for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Who gets Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Anyone can develop Rheumatoid Arthritis. It roughly affects about one percent of the population. Thats 1 person out of every 100 people. The diagnosed cases of Rheumatoid Arthritis affects about two to three times more women than men. Occurences in infants or children are specifically refered to as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.
What are the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The most common symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis include:
– Joint pain
– Joint swelling
– Warm and tender joints
– Morning stiffness
– Fatigue or general malaise
Symptoms is often thought to occur on both sides of body symmetrically but can occur on one side more strongly during a flare up of symptoms.
What is fatigue?
Fatigue can be used to describe feelings of extreme tiredness, lack of energy, or even exhaustion. It is often a symptom seen by patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis but not to be confused by the symptom of weakness.
What are some complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Complications from long term Rheumatoid Arthritis, untreated Rheumatoid Arthritis, chronic inflammation or from the medications to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis are:
Mobility issues
Disability
Life threatening infections
Cardiovascular conditions
Kidney conditions
Lung conditions
Liver conditions
Eye conditions
Hearing issues
Voice issues
What is an autoimmune disorder?
In an autoimmune disorder the immune system, instead of attacking invaders to the body, attacks inside the body turning the body against itself. Depending on the disorder, it can attack tissues, joints, organs, or multiple systems. They are ofen linked in familes. It is possible and often common to be diagnosed with more than one autoimmune disorder.
Is Rheumatoid Arthritis curable?
No. At this time there is no cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis. However, the correct medicinal treatment plan for the individual (each patient is different), diet, and exercise routine for the patient can result in slowing down the progression of RA or even starting a remission.
Browse all our articles about RA by clicking here.
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