Rheumatoid Arthritis

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Arthritis means inflammation in a joint that causes redness, warmth, swelling, and pain within the joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects joints on both sides of the body, that include both hands, both wrists, or both knees. This symmetry helps to set it apart from other types of arthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis can also affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, or nerves.

How does it affect you?

The Virus/Bacteria triggers the immune system to attack the joints and sometimes other organs.Experts say that a virus or bacteria may change the immune system, causing it to attack the joints.Certain genetic patterns may make some people more vulnerable to Rheumatoid Arthritis.Immune system cells move from the blood into the joints and to joint-lining tissue, called synovium.These immune system cells create inflammation, which wears down cartilage (the cushioning material at the end of bones). As the cartilage wears down, the space between the bones narrows down. In worse cases, the bones could rub against each other.Inflammation of the joint lining causes swelling which makes fluid build-up within the joint. As the lining expands with inflammatory cells producing substances that damage the bone.This causes the joint to become very painful, swollen, and warm to the touch.

Symptoms

The warning signs are:

Joint pain and swelling.
Stiffness, especially in the morning or after you sit for a long time.
Fatigue.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects everyone differently.Joint symptoms develop gradually over several years or it may come on quickly.

Some people may have rheumatoid arthritis for a short time and then go into remission, which means they don’t have symptoms.

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